Deception
by kizukatana
Summary: "It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's... deep appreciation of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless. He eyed Naruto with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?" "No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly rising to Sasuke's zipper. SasuNaru - AU
1. Chapter 1 - Obligated service

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly rising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **slight non-con feel in the beginning, a LOT of SasuNaru sex, violence, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Disclaimer** - It wouldn't be fanfiction if I owned Naruto, now would it? And I wouldn't still be working my day job if I made any money writing this, that's for damn sure.

**Author's note** - This will be BY FAR the most sexual fic I have ever posted. There will be a lot of SasuxNaru sexual themes with probably no side pairings (but there will be many side characters that will be very important). It will also be the darkest fic I have written so far. Not angsty, just dark in other ways which will become clear pretty much immediately in this chapter. If you don't like the first chapter, you will not like the rest of the fic.

In terms of this story, I am breaking out of my crutch of having Naruto and Sasuke already having a strong bond from childhood tying them together. They meet for the first time as adults in this fic. As always in my stories, neither of these guys is submissive or girlie so if you are looking for a girlie Uke, please just skip anything I ever write. This will be a heavily plot-based fic, despite lots and lots of sex. Also, this story will take place in New York, not Japan, since I don't know enough about how big cities run in Japan to make this work. If this is the first fic of mine that you are reading, you should just know that I am mildly allergic to sweetness, so if fluff is your thing there probably won't be much here for you to enjoy. As currently sketched out, this fic should be about 15 chapters. Might grow or shrink by a couple of chaps depending on what happens when I flesh out my outlines into full fledged sentences.

-xXx-

Uchiha Sasuke looked up from his desk in his home office and stretched his tall, toned frame to release some of the tension in his muscles that had accumulated from being at his desk for so long. His office spoke of both power and influence, and a casual observer would have been shocked to see the relatively young age of the man who occupied it. But a closer look would reveal the confidence, intelligence, and control that had propelled the twenty-five-year-old to finish college by the age of 19 and law school by the age of 21. He had started his career by joining one of the most powerful law firms in New York, and moved on from there. While still not quite equal to the resume of his older brother, there were few who could say that Uchiha Sasuke was anything other than impressive.

Despite it being after 9pm on a Friday evening, he was alone in his home, still dressed in the expensively tailored suit that he had worn to work that day. His solitary state certainly wasn't for lack of willing company, but rather a strong sense of privacy and low tolerance for most people outside of the forced socialization that his job demanded. His face was masculine and beautiful, with pale skin and fine black brows, but it was his deep, velvety black eyes that captured most people's attention. While it benefited his career to be photogenic, he also found it rather annoying to be stalked and coveted by literally throngs of admirers. He had chosen this building due to its location on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as its formidable security to protect his privacy in his rare moments of down time.

He was finishing up a draft of a speech he had to give at a charity benefit the following night. While he didn't love public speaking, he excelled at it, as he did with almost everything else. His voice was a deep baritone, which people found compelling, and he had a magnetic presence that drew literally every eye in the room when he took the podium. Combining that with a ruthless intellect and instinctive feel for people's motivations it was no wonder that at twenty-five, he had become the youngest city council member in New York. His looks alone had guaranteed him the women's vote (and at least 10% of the men's), but he had more than earned their confidence within his first three months of office by his work ethic and determination.

The phone on his desk rang discreetly. A strong but elegant hand picked it. up.

"Uchiha," he said tersely.

"Good evening, Uchiha-sama," the voice of the security officer from the luxury apartment complex Sasuke lived in said smoothly. Despite being an American, the man attempted to show Japanese style respect to the influential man residing in the top floor of their building. Sasuke had lived in the US for most of his life, but he appreciated the gesture. "There is a man here who says he has a message that must be delivered to you in person. He says it is from Sanin Orochimaru, and that he has been instructed to deliver it to you personally. He is not from one of the registered courier services. What do you wish me to do?"

Sasuke paused. Orochimaru was someone both he his brother, Itachi, disliked instinctively. They socialized in the same circles, all being wealthy, powerful men who had emigrated from Japan. But Orochimaru had some very shady connections and an obsessive and power-hungry nature that the brothers recognized and knew to distance themselves from. The man had been trying to curry favor with them for years given their influential family name and significant fortune. But once Itachi had become an Assistant District Attorney, the man had become almost obsessed with the brothers. Itachi had at one point threatened to put a restraining order on him, which had caused Orochimaru to temporarily back off. But with Sasuke recently entering public service as an elected official, he found himself needing to be more cautious of how much he alienated the distasteful man. Orochimaru had strong connections within the Asian community in New York, and it was dangerous to insult him out-of-hand. Not to mention the man had a significant fortune of his own, which could be used to help unseat Sasuke or even cause problems for Itachi's boss if deployed against them in the next election cycle. Sasuke therefore had been forced to maintain cautious relations with him.

But that was different from actually allowing a representative of the man into his private home. Sasuke hesitated, his analytical mind quickly assessing the options.

"Take the messenger's name and send him up, Jugo," Sasuke said. Orochimaru would not be foolish enough to attach his name to this visitor if the man had ill intent. The reason that Orochimaru was still accepted in the business and political arenas was precisely because he managed to distance himself from the illicit activities he was involved with, though he was unable to fully suppress the rumors that circulated about him. In general, Sasuke had little fear of physical confrontations, but he didn't seek them out as they were typically counterproductive. Both he and his brother had taken up martial arts as children, and continued into their adult lives as a nod to their cultural heritage and a way to release stress and keep fit. The ancient katana that was mounted on the wall above his living room fireplace was not entirely for decoration. The guard would ensure that his visitor was not carrying a weapon, so Sasuke had little to worry about. An attack from Orochimaru, if it happened, would likely be much less direct, and much more subtle. Such was his style.

"Yes, sir," Jugo said.

A short while later, the elevator chimed. Since Sasuke lived in the penthouse, which took up the entire top floor of the building, the only entrance or exit was the private elevator which required a key and was accessible only past the security desk in the building.

Sasuke stilled when he saw the blond man who exited the elevator, shocked recognition flooding him. It was the man from the holding cell he had seen three weeks ago at the police station. The blond had been brought in with the remnants of Nagato's crew after the raid. Itachi had told him that there had not been enough evidence on several of the people who had been arrested at the time to hold them, and the police had been forced to let a few go. How had this man ended up working for Orochimaru? As far as Sasuke knew, Orochimaru had severed ties with Nagato years ago, when Nagato had become bolder with his illegal operations and Orochimaru had decided it was too risky to remain affiliated with him. There was definite hostility between the factions, but he supposed that with Nagato dead, perhaps Orochimaru had been able to absorb some of the remaining members of the other's group into his own.

While the logical part of Sasuke's brain was processing these observations, another part of his brain was busy memorizing the way the blond moved as he walked towards him. There was no fear or hesitation. He had a strong, fluid stride, and Sasuke felt a slight instinctive prickle as he wondered if he actually would be able to take the man before him in a fight, given what he had observed of the blond. It intrigued him in a way that surprised him. All of Sasuke's battles were fought on an intellectual level. His sparring partners were really more just exercise companions, except for Itachi, who took it more seriously. Somehow, Sasuke found himself physically aware of the blond in a way he could not quite explain. Certainly he would not be asking this man to be his sparring partner. He supposed it was due to the unusual circumstances under which he had met the man.

. . . . .

_Sasuke and Itachi were midway through their weekly dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. While most people had to wait almost two months for a reservation, the Uchiha brothers enjoyed a standing reservation at the best table in the house. _

_They both had hectic, high pressure lives, but Saturday dinner was the one thing that they both made sure to hold sacred on their calendars. They discussed the events of the week, politics, and family. But mostly they just enjoyed the presence of each others company and wit._

_Itachi's phone chimed that he had received a text and he flicked a casual glance. His brows drew together and he immediately grabbed it up and dialed. Sasuke wasn't offended. It had to be a major emergency for his brother to interrupt their dinner._

_"When did it happen?" Itachi paused listening to the voice on the other line._

_"He's dead?" That pricked Sasuke's attention._

_"When are they being brought in?"_

_"I'll be right there. Do not allow anyone to be questioned until I arrive."_

_Itachi looked at Sasuke apologetically. Sasuke just raised a brow as he signaled to the waiter to bring their check._

_"Nagato's dead. His entire crew was just arrested in a raid, and is down at the station in booking."_

_Sasuke looked at Itachi in a bit of shock. Nagato had been a major criminal master-mind, with roots that connected back to powerful Yakuza factions in Japan. He had been responsible for at least ten undercover policemen being killed, not to mention a ring of illegal sex trafficking and antiquities smuggling. Itachi had been building a case against Nagato for the past three years, but somehow the man always seemed to get off on a technicality. Rumor had circulated that a special task force that even Itachi did not have access to had been able to get a man inside the secretive organization. The rumors were apparently true as evidence began to surface that would enable Itachi to finally more forward and prosecute. He had been literally less than a week away from filing an indictment. It would have been a major feather in his cap to achieve this in his early days in the D.A.'s office._

_And now the man was dead, leaving his organization in chaos. If any of the lieutenants escaped custody, they would likely immediately take over the operations, so time was of the essence to ensure that no one slipped through the cracks. _

_"I'll go with you to the station," Sasuke said. Itachi had picked him up from work since parking was always tight, and Sasuke knew Itachi would not want to take the time to drop him back at his place. It was Saturday night and raining, so catching a cab would be almost impossible. Itachi had just nodded and they strode to the door, aware but uncaring as numerous pairs of eyes followed them lustfully, in awe of the fluid beauty of the brothers._

_When they arrived at the police station, it was clear that things were in chaos. Several of the people in the holding cells were injured, but the flight risk was so great that only the severely injured ones had been allowed to go to the hospital under heavy guard. The rest were receiving medical treatment at the police station._

_Sasuke stood back out of the way, simply watching his brother talk with all of the officers, ensuring that everyone was properly mirandized before any statements were taken, and insisting on being part of all interviews of the top lieutenants. Some of the faces Sasuke recognized from newspaper articles, but most were people he had never seen._

_Sasuke's attention was drawn to a blond male that was sitting on the floor of one of the cells. He was wearing a black T-shirt, and dark jeans. He was sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, chaffing his hands on his upper arms as if cold. There was something about him that drew Sasuke's gaze, though he wasn't quite sure what it was. He wondered idly what he had been arrested for. He seemed younger and more innocent looking than the others in the cell, with large blue eyes in a face framed by golden hair that - even in the horrible fluorescent lighting of the police station - seemed to glow. _

_There were people in the jail that had been brought in that night on things not related to Nagato's organization, and Sasuke briefly wondered if the blond were perhaps brought in by mistake for something else. But then he noticed that he was talking with a woman with blue hair who seemed to be worried about him, and kept wanting to look at his shirt. Sasuke knew for a fact that the blue-haired woman was known to be Nagato's consort. Konan, he thought her name was. If she knew the blond, that must mean that he had been a part of Nagato's organization. _

_Part of Sasuke felt a sense of disappointment at that knowledge, though he wasn't sure why. He supposed it was due in part to the fact that he generally had a very good sense of the character of a person. And somehow it just didn't seem to fit that the golden boy he was looking at would be part of an organization as ruthless as Nagato's had been._

_"Hey, can we get some medical attention here? He needs a doctor," Konan called out._

_The policeman ignored her request, just rolling his eyes. Itachi looked over with some concern. He walked over, looking down at the blond, but he could see no obvious injuries. "How old are you?" Itachi asked._

_The blond looked at him, amusement written on his face. "Why? Wanting to see if you'd get charged with statutory?" Several people in the cell snickered at the sexual implication, presumably members of Nagato's gang, but perhaps just anyone who wanted to get some amusement at the expense of the man likely to be prosecuting them._

_Itachi's eyes lit with amusement at the younger man's daring. He clearly knew who Itachi was, and it would take some serious balls to challenge him personally and directly like this, especially for someone who appeared so young. "No. I just want to know if I will be trying you as an adult or sending you down to juvie."_

_"How old would I have to be to be guaranteed juvie?" Blue eyes twinkled with humor, looking directly into the generally intimidating stare of one of the most accomplished ADA's in the city. Sasuke smirked. He had never seen anyone outside of the family challenge his brother, much less laugh while doing it._

_Itachi narrowed his eyes, as the blond continued. "Because whatever that age is, that's how old I am. Give me three hours and I can come up with an ID to prove it."_

_There was more laughter from within the cell. Itachi sighed and stood. The blond appeared to be in reasonable health, except for a smear of blood he saw on his arm. Itachi went back to the arresting officer he had been talking with._

_Sasuke found himself continuing to watch the blond, noticing the golden hue of his skin, and the toned muscles of his arms that the tight T-shirt did nothing to conceal. _

_Evidently there was another person who found the young blond as compelling as Sasuke did. A large man, significantly older and larger than the boy, walked up behind him, looking down with a lustful gaze. The boy didn't notice, continuing rubbing his arms and starting to rock somewhat back and forth. He seemed to be shaking now. Sasuke found the blond's movements somewhat disturbing, but wasn't sure what to do at this point. Konan had gone to talk to a man that Sasuke recognized from the news as Hidan, another of Nagato's known lieutenants. "He needs medical help," she insisted. "He's bleeding all over. They won't listen to me."_

_Sasuke frowned, realizing that Itachi was once again talking with one of the arresting officers and hadn't heard Konan's comment. He took a step towards the cell to see if he could detect any injury, but given that Itachi had been within a foot of the blond, it was unlikely he would have missed seeing a major wound if it existed._

_Hidan looked over to where Naruto was sitting, and saw the older man approaching him from behind, his intent clear._

_"I wouldn't fucking do that if you don't want your ass handed to you," Hidan said loudly, a grin spreading on his face. The blond apparently didn't hear him, as he continued his small rocking motion, his eyes now closed. Sasuke thought he looked slightly paler than he did a few minutes ago. "Blondie's a fucking psycho when he's injured."_

_The older man ignored the warning, and crouched down right behind the blond man. "You look cold, sexy. I'd be more than happy to warm you up."_

_With that, the man wrapped his arms roughly around the blond, one of his meaty paws sliding right down to grope the boy's groin. Itachi had turned to see what Hidan had been talking about, and his eyes narrowed in disgust at the older man who was clearly trying to molest the blond, hoping no one would notice in the chaos. "Hey -" Itachi began, using his most biting tone to get attention._

_But before he could complete his sentence, the blond's eyes flew open as he realized what was happening. Before anyone could even move, the boy had launched to his feet, dragging the much larger man up with him then slamming him into the concrete wall with such force that the man lost consciousness._

_"Holy shit!" One of the officers said. "Did you see what that kid just did? That guy is almost twice his size, and he picked him right up off the ground!"_

_Hidan and several other of Nagato's crew laughed and catcalled to the blond. "I told you, you fucking pussy. Out with one hit!"_

_"Get him off the guy! He's going to kill him!" Another officer said, frantically opening the cell as the boy continued to hold the man against the wall, gripping his throat._

_"Call a doctor!" Itachi shouted. "They boy's shot and going into shock!"_

_Sasuke noticed the red pool that had been hidden beneath the blond where he was sitting. The dark color of his clothing had disguised the blood, but when the boy had stood and turned around, Sasuke could see the small bullet hole in his left shoulder. It had not gone all the way through, so there was no wound visible from the front, and in the confusion, it had been missed. Sasuke wondered why the hell the kid hadn't said something. Six officers poured into the room, detaching the blond from his assailant, just as the blond lost consciousness._

Sasuke remained where he was standing in his living room, leaning against the counter of the bar and making no move to go and greet this unexpected arrival into his lair. He instead noticed that the blond seemed to be moving without discomfort, so whatever the nature of the bullet wound had been, he had apparently made a full recovery in a relatively short time.

The blond paused at the lack of greeting, then simply removed his shoes and walked into the living room. He was dressed casually, wearing dark jeans and a thin, relatively tight-fitting white henley that allowed the play of the lean muscles of his torso to be clearly visible, with a blue crystal pendant tied by a leather thong around his neck. _He's beautiful_, Sasuke found himself thinking, surprised by the observation, especially directed towards someone who apparently possessed an almost animalistic strength and violent tendencies. Sasuke generally had little reaction to others in terms of attraction. He found most people boring or annoying, and growing up with a family of superior genes, he was relatively immune to physical beauty.

But there was something about this person that resonated with him. That intrigued him. There was a depth to him that didn't match with what he knew about the man.

Naruto had walked over to Sasuke, and bowed in the traditional Japanese style, greeting him in flawless Japanese. "_Uchiha-sama. I am Uzumaki Naruto. Orochimaru-sama requested that I deliver this proposal to you personally, and see if you have any reply you wish me to give him_." Sasuke's native language sounded strange coming from someone with blond hair and electric blue eyes.

No recognition showed in the blond's eyes. It was clear that the blond didn't remember him. Given the events that had unfolded, it was likely the man had not even seen Sasuke. Somehow, it annoyed him. The image of the blond had stubbornly stuck with him for weeks. Usually the situation was reversed. In fact, Sasuke could never recall a time when he had noticed someone and they had not noticed him back. Not that he was obsessed with the blond... _Naruto, he said his name was_. But he had... remembered the look of him.

_Why does he have a Japanese name, and speak the language like a native?_ None of Sasuke's interest showed on his impassively cold face.

"Hn," Sasuke said, accepting the offered folder but not returning the greeting or the polite bow. He noticed the blond's eyes narrow at his rudeness, and found that it amused him to see the man's annoyance. _Does he have any idea who I am? _Most people worked hard at ingratiating themselves with him. Evidently the blond was one of the few who wouldn't, or was simply to ignorant to understand the need to.

Sasuke flipped open the folder that Orochimaru had sent, and began reading the introductory letter. His eyes widened imperceptibly as he got to the end, then flicked over the blond, wanting to gauge his reaction. Naruto stood there, his gaze wandering around the apartment. If anything, the blond looked bored. As though he were simply a messenger awaiting a reply.

Sasuke skimmed through the content of the actual proposal that Orochimaru had sent. It appeared to be supporting a minor zoning change in the district that Sasuke represented. He had heard some discussions about it, but honestly had little opinion on the matter since it seemed like such a minor adjustment. Apparently, Orochimaru had a vested interest in the outcome, and was trying to buy Sasuke's vote.

But not with money. That would be too overt, and - if Sasuke rejected it - could land Orochimaru in jail. No, he had been much more subtle.

Sasuke didn't in general like sex. He found it messy, both physically and emotionally. The very few times he had briefly engaged in sexual relationships he had been bored almost immediately and then had to suffer the stalker-like attentions from his partners for months (in one case years) afterwards. He avoided physical intimacy like the plague. But somehow...

_How had Orochimaru known?_ Sasuke wondered. Many people had tried to offer or garner sexual favors from Sasuke. They had all been rebuffed without a thought.

Of course, it wasn't going to happen this time either.

He was going to tell Naruto that his reply to Orochimaru was that he would consider the merits of both sides of the discussion, and vote accordingly in the best interest of all his constituents.

His gaze flicked back to the letter, and the paragraph that intrigued him the most. He wouldn't be tempted by it. He was not tempted. Yet somehow, he heard his voice reading that section out loud, his eyes latched onto the messenger that Orochimaru had so very carefully selected to deliver this.

"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

He noted the surprise and wariness that flashed across the blue eyes. _The blond truly had no idea what Orochimaru was asking of him when he sent him here, did he?_

Sasuke stood there, wondering how the blond would respond. Having seen the boy's reaction to what had happened at the police station, he had absolutely no doubt that Naruto was _not_ a paid escort. Would he become violent? Would he leave? Had Orochimaru used him for service like this in the past? Had Nagato? Somehow, the thought made Sasuke's blood boil.

"I'm here to demonstrate Orochimaru's... deep appreciation?" Naruto said, his mouth seeming to almost hesitate forming the words. He didn't sound afraid, more like... puzzled. He clearly didn't know what to do, but Sasuke could almost see the boy's thoughts racing as he tried to determine what course of action to take. "I see," Naruto said after a moment.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said, as he took three steps forward, effectively closing the distance between them, then sank fluidly to his knees, bringing his face level with Sasuke's crotch. He locked his eyes onto Sasuke's as he slowly raised his hand to the belt that was in front of his face. There was neither lust nor revulsion in the blue orbs. In fact, Sasuke could read nothing but wariness. He had to admit it was a first for him. Usually people who had the chance to touch him intimately were nearly incoherent with desire. Naruto was looking at him almost analytically.

Tan fingers slowly undid the belt of Sasuke's pants, then pulled it smoothly out and tossed it aside. Sasuke felt every muscle in his body clench as he felt the leather belt slither out of its loops. He was going to stop this. He had just been curious to see what the man would do.

He _had _to stop this.

He had no idea what had possessed him to read the letter and issue the challenge to the blond. Ok, that was maybe a little bit of a lie, but for all he knew this kid could be under eighteen. He should have swallowed his pride and asked Itachi what had happened with the blond, but knowing his brother that would have been the equivalent of sending up a nuclear flare signaling his interest, so he had held his tongue.

After all, he wasn't interested in the blond.

This could be Orochimaru's way of finally getting dirt on him in order to bend him to his will. Sasuke tried to look objectively at the man to ascertain his age. Usually he was a pretty good judge, but he felt uncertain. Naruto's face looked young and somewhat innocent... it really could be that of a 17-year-old. But his eyes seemed to hold a darkness that spoke of more years of experience. Sasuke wasn't sure. And given that the age of consent in New York was eighteen, it was a pretty fucking important piece of information.

Sasuke licked his suddenly dry lips, trying to focus on the facts and impropriety of the situation. But all his senses were entered on the man kneeling between his thighs. He could feel the heat radiating from the tan body. And the growing insolence and amusement looking up at him from the blue eyes that were inches away from his increasingly sensitized groin.

Sasuke watched as the same nimble fingers undid the fastening on his trousers, then slowly pulled down the zipper. Sasuke met the steady blue gaze that was looking up at him, as if waiting for... permission or rejection of the offer that was clearly being made. Sasuke knew he needed to tell the man to stop, to throw him out of his apartment and send him packing with a message to Orochimaru that he could not be influenced in this way.

Instead, he simply raised a perfectly arched brow, as if asking the blond what he was waiting for.

A look of surprise flashed across the blond's face, but immediately was replaced by one of almost condescension. Sasuke knew that the blond was not exactly doing this of his own choice, but there was no sense of 'victimhood' about Naruto, no visible reluctance. He seemed totally unfazed as he shifted his gaze back to Sasuke's crotch where, despite Sasuke's cool and expressionless face, his arousal was showing rather impressively. Naruto tugged the boxers and pants down, looking as Sasuke's large, fully engorged cock bobbed free of its constraints.

The blond fisted his hand slowly around the base of Sasuke's erection, letting his grip settle finger by finger. Sasuke hissed quietly, but otherwise showed no reaction to the extremely intimate touch. It had been a long time since he had allowed anyone to touch him this way. Naruto pulled Sasuke's cock forward, letting his tongue swirl slowly around the head, delving into the slit then tracing the underside of the ridges.

Sasuke felt the blue eyes watching him, and did his best to maintain his relatively impassive façade. He couldn't disguise the effect the blond's actions were having on his leaking erection, but he didn't have to reveal the fact that it was taking every last shred of his willpower to prevent him from shoving the blond down and fucking him into the floor. He was pretty sure that would go well beyond the bounds of 'showing appreciation'. And also would put him in danger of being arrested if the boy were in fact underaged and this were some sort of trap.

Sasuke gripped the counter he was leaning against in a white-knuckled death grip to prevent his hands from latching into the blond hair and fucking the pink mouth. He would remain a passive receiver of this sexual favor, not an aggressor. Not an instigator. Not until he was absolutely sure the boy was legal. He knew he was already neck deep as it was if the boy was a minor.

He felt teeth scrape along his head, followed by a long, slow suck taking in a significant portion of his length. Sasuke tried to not let his eyes roll back into his head. He had never done anything this monumentally stupid in his entire life. What the hell was he doing? Why was he allowing this? _Allowing this? _A little voice in his head said. _You fucking _asked_ for this_.

Sasuke's last coherent thought was that the blond had either given or at very least received some amazing blow jobs in his young life, because he was unbelievably skilled. He then proceeded to have the most mind-blowing orgasm he had ever had in his life.

He really hoped he hadn't just thrown away his career for it.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

This story is one where I want to take time with the writing because the tone is a little tricky, so I am expecting to update closer to every other week rather than every several days the way I do with Nice Guys (which is more of an 'off the cuff' type story). It might be more frequent, I just want to set expectations just in case. Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Next chapter will show more about Naruto and how he got into this situation and what he thinks of Sasuke at this point.


	2. Chapter 2 - At the station

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly raising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **slight non-con feel in the beginning, violence, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Disclaimer** - It wouldn't be fanfiction if I owned Naruto, now would it? And I wouldn't still be working my day job if I made any money writing this, that's for damn sure.

**Author's note** - Now you can see how Naruto got involved with Orochimaru. Of course, I'm not giving you his entire back-story right here, so exactly what he is doing and how he got involved with Nagato will come later. Because what fun would it be to know everything all at once? Also! Recommended listening for this story so far from BriEva is a song called _Animal_ by the Cab... it fits things pretty well so far emotionally.

-xXx-

Naruto knew he was going into shock. But he hated hospitals. If the choice came between bleeding out in jail or going to the hospital, he didn't know which one he'd choose. Actually, it seemed he had chosen jail. He wondered if Kakashi knew he had been brought in yet. He closed his eyes, feeling his shaking increasing. He was starting to feel cold. He knew the bullet was still lodged in his shoulder, and it hurt like hell. He was losing blood, but hopefully not enough yet to be dangerous. Yet. He had half hoped that the guard would take Konan's request for help seriously and maybe get him some medical attention in jail without going to the hospital, but they guy had just assumed it was some sort of trick. Or more likely, he just didn't give a crap if one of Nagato's crew were hurt. The assistant district attorney had seemed like a decent enough guy. _Itachi_, Naruto had heard someone call him. Naruto was glad. It meant there would be a fair trial for everyone if he was the one in charge.

It would be different if that fucker Kabuto were involved, but so far Naruto hadn't seen him. Naruto was broken out of his thoughts when the smell of rancid breath came from directly behind him.

"You look cold, sexy. I'd be more than happy to warm you up."

He felt heavily muscled arms vice around him, and a clumsy hand grope his crotch. All thought processes basically shut down as he went into full defense mode. He vaguely knew he was having an episode, but there was no point in trying to control it. The good thing was that the adrenaline pounding through his body pretty much erased all feelings of pain from his wounds.

"Hey -" he vaguely heard someone shout, presumably at him. But maybe to the guy behind him. Naruto wasn't thinking more about it.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was grabbing the man who had grabbed him and was slamming him hard against the concrete wall. He could hear people shouting around him. And Hidan laughing. _Crazy motherfucker_.

He felt pairs of arms grabbing him and everything faded to black. Just before he passed out, he saw a familiar shock of silver hair, and a face covered by a thin cloth. Kakashi. _About fucking time. _The bastard was always late.

Naruto hadn't seen the attractive young man with the tailored suit and onyx eyes watching him intently. And neither boy had noticed the older man with yellow eyes and snakelike features watching them both with great interest from the back of the room.

. . .

The smell of antiseptic told Naruto where he was before he opened his eyes. _Fucking hospitals_.

He fought to keep the panic down. He wasn't eight anymore. He wasn't going to wake up to the nightmare of seeing his mother dead and his father dying while doctors rushed around uselessly. Part of his brain knew that. The other part was making sure his eyes stayed closed.

"Open your eyes, Naruto," the low, seemingly emotionless voice got through to Naruto. Gaara. He was here. Naruto realized that there was a warmth against his arm.

Naruto opened his eyes, and found clear green eyes looking back at him, steadying him. He glanced down, surprised to see that the redhead's hand resting on his arm. Gaara loathed physical contact. He had told Naruto the reason once, and the story had caused Naruto to empty the contents of his stomach violently. Naruto knew that the seemingly casual gesture was a momentous effort for his best friend.

"Gaara," Naruto said, the single word filled with his emotions - gratitude, fear, pain. There was a gentle pressure from Gaara's hand. No one understood Naruto like Gaara. The reverse was also true. Both of their childhoods held memories of hell. As adults, they each had found ways of coping, but the demons of their past still haunted them. Gaara was the one person Naruto truly cared about. He had a lot of casual friends and a few occasional lovers. But Naruto could walk away from any of them if he had to. Except Gaara. He was the only person Naruto truly trusted.

Naruto asked the most important question first. "Did I kill that guy?"

"No." It wasn't Gaara that answered. Naruto turned his head to see Kakashi leaning against the wall. "They pulled you off before you killed him."

Naruto nodded, feeling relieved. One less charge he had to worry about.

"For future reference, killing someone right in front of a room full of cops and someone from the district attorney's office is probably not a good idea," Kakshi said dryly, humor touching his eyes. "But at least enough people saw him go for you first, so a self-defense claim would be pretty easy to make."

"Don't you have some doughnuts to eat, Mr. Police Officer?" Naruto asked, pretending to be annoyed. "Besides, you shouldn't be here. If someone from your department sees you, they're going to wonder why you're talking with me."

"Brat. You're lucky you aren't dead. What were you thinking?" Kakashi asked, ignoring Naruto's last comment. He knew the risks of getting caught.

"Pervert," Naruto retorted automatically. "Which time? During the raid with Nagato, or in the holding cell?"

"Any thoughtful explanation of pretty much any of the major events in your life would be shocking but helpful. But I doubt we're going to have enough time to get through it all before we're going to be interrupted. So let's get to the important parts first. Why is Orochimaru interested in you? How does he even know who you are?"

Naruto just blinked. "Orochimaru? Isn't he some guy that used to do business with Nagato like ten years ago or something? That was way before I got recruited. As far as I know, I've ever even met him. Why?"

"Because I just found out that he's planning to post bail, pay your medical bills, and cover your attorney fees. No one else from Nagato's organization, just you. And I want to know why. We had a deal, Naruto. No secrets. I can't help you if you keep things from me."

"Seriously, Kakashi, I've never met the guy. At least, I don't think so. Do you have a photo of him? Maybe I met him and I just didn't realize it. Did he say anything about why he wants to help me?"

"Orochimaru doesn't help people. He buys people." Kakashi pulled out his phone and pulled up a photo, handing the device to Naruto. "Look familiar?"

Naruto looked, his face blank. "No. I've never seen him before." Naruto couldn't always remember names, but he had a good memory for faces. If he had met this man even once, he would have remembered it. Kakashi looked at him consideringly, then at Gaara.

"It makes no sense that Orochimaru would single out Naruto. Naruto has none of the skills that Orochimaru values in his organization from what I know about how he operates," Gaara said flatly.

"Gee thanks," Naruto said dryly.

"No offense, Naruto, but what Gaara said is true. Orochimaru is about subtly, strategy, and corruption. He doesn't break laws, he bends them. Your style is more..." Kakashi trailed off, but Gaara picked right up.

"Loud, confrontational, and unpredictable."

"Fuck you, Gaara," but there was no heat behind the insult. He knew Gaara was right. Naruto had served as Nagato's body guard. He was good at observing situations and reacting to physical danger instinctively. When it came to direct confrontations, Naruto was almost unbeatable. He was good with his hands, a gun, a knife, a piece of yarn... pretty much any weapon. But Orochimaru didn't handle things that way. He used blackmail, manipulation, and obfuscation.

Naruto was straightforward and not a very good liar. He would be a liability to most of Orochimaru's operations, not an asset.

"Of course," Kakashi began cautiously, "Orochimaru's interest in Naruto might have nothing to do with his organization."

There was a heavy aura of imminent death emanating from the redhead at Naruto's side. Naruto turned and looked steadily at his friend, and chose his next words carefully. "Look, Gaara. Kakashi and I have to talk through this. Why don't you go to the waiting room until we're done, then you can help get me the hell out of here. Scout the place out and tell me what the security is like."

"Naruto, you've just come out of surgery where they dug a bullet out of you. You're not leaving the hospital today," Kakashi said.

Gaara and Naruto exchanged amused glances. "If my bail has been posted, then I am not staying. Gaara, I'll be down in a few minutes. Let Kakashi and me finish up here."

Gaara stared flatly at Naruto. "I want to hear what Kakashi has to say about why he thinks Orochimaru is interested in you. And more specifically why Kakashi seems to think that you should agree to this."

Naruto knew there would be no forcing Gaara to leave if he had made up his mind to stay. Gaara was extremely protective of Naruto, and vice versa. They had both saved each other's asses on more than one occasion since they met years ago.

"Ok, Kakashi. Tell me what you think Orochimaru wants me for," Naruto said, already pretty much guessing the answer.

"He likes pretty young men," Kakashi shrugged. "For the obvious reasons. Though physically, you're not really his type. He tends to prefer Asian-looking men, with finer bones."

Naruto thought about this. "Can I refuse his money?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Of course. Or you can let him bail you out and then skip town for a bit, though he's dangerous to double-cross."

"What aren't you saying, Kakashi?" Gaara asked directly.

"I know you just spent the last three years working with Nagato. But we have an unexpected opportunity to get someone inside Orochimaru's operation. We've been trying for years. Yagura was killed three months ago in a failed attempt. Fu and Utakata have been positioned as sex-trade workers, trying to catch his notice, but he hasn't gone for it. Out of the blue, he has taken an interest in you."

"No," Gaara said flatly. "You know what happened in that cell last night. Naruto had another episode. Plus he has just been fucking _shot_, taking a bullet for Nagato. By cops in _your_ department. He's not ready for this. He needs to recover."

"I know that. But..." Kakashi trailed off. "Fu or Utakata would be a better choice. Orochimaru is twisted. They have had experience in the types of machinations that Orochimaru tends to use. Unfortunately, neither of them has drawn his interest. But you have. And I don't know why."

"It seems the best way to figure out why is for me to agree," Naruto said simply. "I'll do it. At least until we figure out a little bit more about what he is after."

"Shut up, Naruto," Gaara growled. "You don't even know what you are signing up for. Just because you're not his usual type doesn't mean he isn't looking to try a new flavor."

Naruto laughed. "I'm pretty sure I can defend my chastity. If he thinks he can overpower me, he is a poor judge of character," seeing Gaara's glare intensify, Naruto sighed. "Look, it's not like I went looking for this. But Orochimaru asked for me. And we don't know why, but with Nagato dead and almost everyone else in jail, I'm definitely looking for new employment. My options in jail aren't so great, either, given I'll be one of the youngest guys in the yard. If I get into too many fights, it will be bad for me with the guards, even if I was just defending myself. And who knows... it's possible Orochimaru wants me for a specific purpose." _And he might lead me to the person I need to find. _Naruto didn't say the words out loud, but he knew Gaara would guess what he was thinking.

Kakashi nodded. "I agree. If Orochimaru is wanting Naruto for his fighting skills, he must have a specific target, though it would be a first for him to use such a direct approach. And that would imply a shorter timeframe. If Naruto declines, we likely won't have time to find someone else suitable to take his place. We don't know what criteria he was using to pick Naruto in the first place."

"It could be just because of my ties to Nagato," Naruto offered.

Kakashi looked thoughtful. "It could be. But I doubt it. He's not interested in anyone else from the Akatsuki."

"Let's try it. If it turns out he's just after my ass, I'll either disappear or take him out. I'll play it straight with him and let him know where I stand. I'll also ask Hidan to see if he has any idea what Orochimaru wants with me, in case it isn't the obvious. How long do you think it will be before they allow Hidan and Dei to have visitors?"

"Naruto -" Gaara began, but was cut off when the door banged open.

A woman walked in carrying a briefcase and wearing a business suit. She looked to be in her late twenties, with black hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail. She would have appeared to be dressed in standard lawyer attire except for the mesh camisole that was clearly visible beneath her jacket, drawing attention to her cleavage. "What are you doing in her talking to my client?" She glared at Kakashi.

"I am his attorney, and I specifically instructed the police that no one is to talk to Mr. Uzumaki without my presence. Leave this room immediately. Any statement that he has given will be inadmissible," the woman then turned to Naruto, and extended her hand. "My name is Anko Mitarashi. Orochimaru has retained me to represent you on all charges. I posted bail for you while you were in surgery."

Anko turned and glared at Kakashi, who simply raised his hands placatingly and walked out of the room. Anko then rounded on Gaara. "Who are you?"

"Gaara is my roommate," Naruto said, deciding not to mention any of their other connections.

Anko nodded brusquely. "He still needs to leave. I need you to answer a few questions for me before the police come to take your statement."

"Gaara - it's fine. Evidently this is my attorney. Just go to the waiting room. I'll be out shortly."

Anko raised her eyebrows at that pronouncement, looking at the various tubes and bandages attached to the blond's body, but said nothing. Gaara sent a silent warning to Naruto, then left the room. Anko ran her eyes over Naruto, the thin fabric of the hospital gown and light sheet doing nothing to conceal the toned muscles of his body. The bright lighting in the hospital also revealed six thin scars on the man's face, three on each cheek, that were probably barely noticeable in regular lighting. They looked old and faded. Despite being just awakened from surgery, she could tell instinctively that Naruto would be dangerous in a fight. So few of the men in Orochimaru's circle were. She found it very attractive.

"What did you tell that cop, and why was he here?"

"I just woke up from surgery. I asked Kakashi if I had killed the guy in the holding cell, and he told me no. He also told me that some guy I've never met has paid my bail, my medical bills, and evidently hired you to defend me. He asked me why, and I said I had no fucking clue. Which is true. Who is this Orochimaru person, and why is he helping me? Nagato is dead, and I'm not selling out any of the people I worked with in his organization. If that's what your boss wants, then you might as well just pack up and go home."

Anko looked at him, slightly amused. "You are not they type of person Orochimaru usually selects. I find you very interesting." She walked over and sat down on the chair next to the bed. "But you didn't answer my question. How do you know Captain Kakashi?"

"He arrested me several years ago."

"What were the charges?"

"My record's been sealed. I was a juvenile."

"That's not what I asked."

"I was accused of killing a man," Naruto said, his voice suddenly cold and expressionless.

Anko watched in fascination as the innocence she had initially read in her young client's face was replaced by something hard and ruthless. And she had no doubt whatsoever that those charges were true. She would probe more on this later, but kept the information filed away to tell to Orochimaru. There was more to this boy than what he had expected, and it wasn't necessarily good news. He would be much more dangerous and less easy to manipulate than they had assumed.

"What is the status of their case against me?" Naruto asked. "How much was my bail?"

"Your bail was three hundred thousand dollars, but the case seems fairly week. Most of your friends are set at over a million each, though the top five are remanded without bail. The evidence on them is much stronger. Unless the DA's office makes a mistake, they won't be seeing the outside for a very long time."

"Hidan and Deidara?"

"Remanded."

"_Shit._" Naruto tried to take stock of his situation. Being cut off from the Akatsuki members he trusted would make things significantly more difficult, and more dangerous. They had connections and knew players that he didn't. But he could play along for a bit with Orochimaru. He had no way of raising that kind of cash to post his own bail. But first he had to have some sort of sense of what he was being purchased for. "What does your boss want with me? I was Nagato's personal body guard. I won't sell out my friends, and I wasn't running any of Nagato's operations, so I don't have detailed information that Orochimaru could use if he is planning on doing some kind of land grab to take over."

Anko laughed. "Orochimaru wouldn't need help from someone like you if he wanted to take over Nagato's dealings. I believe he wants you for other reasons."

"I won't fuck some old guy just to make bail. Kakashi said Orochimaru likes younger men."

"No... you are not his type, handsome though you are. And young. Are you even legal yet?"

Naruto smirked at her question. "What do the police reports say my age is? If they say I'm underaged, let's go with that."

"Do you have any documentation proving your age?"

Naruto shrugged. "I have lots of documentation proving lots of ages. But I am not really sure what would stand up in court. So let's just go with what they have."

Anko was clearly displeased, but guessed that Naruto didn't trust Orochimaru enough to give his real identity and age... probably because there was a risk associated it.

"Are we going to keep playing 'read my fucking mind' or are you going to just tell me why he wants me?" Naruto asked tiredly.

Anko laughed, something she rarely did. "I don't know why he wants you. But he has already paid for you. So I suggest you play along."

"I'll play along up to a point. I don't have a lot of options right now, since my previous job ended rather abruptly, but if he tries to get in my pants, or get me to testify against my friends, we're done."

Anko smiled in amusement. She wondered how much the boy knew about the man he had just casually threatened. Her guess was _not much_. "I'll be sure to let him know. Now, when the police come to take your statement, you just keep your mouth closed and let me do all the talking. We'll have you out of here in an hour, since I gather from your earlier comment that you dislike hospitals."

"Heh, yeah, you could say that," Naruto rubbed a hand over his face. His body ached and he was exhausted, and the meds were wearing off. But at least he was able to think clearly. "So when I'm done here, where do I go?"

"You can go back to your apartment. Orochimaru will contact you and let you know your duties once you are healed. In the meantime, I would not try leaving town. Orochimaru is a very well-connected man. You would not be able to find a place he could not track you."

Naruto shrugged. He wasn't easily intimidated. He had hidden from scarier people than Orochimaru. And he had even killed one of them.

"I have no reason to run right now. If Orochimaru is willing to spend all this money on me before I even agree to anything, I won't feel bad turning him down, though. I appreciate it, but this doesn't mean he owns me."

Just then, two police detectives entered. As Anko instructed, Naruto let her do all the talking. She clearly intimidated the hell out of the two men, who left after an hour of getting exactly nothing from him. Anko smiled and licked her lips. She loved putting weaker men in their place. She took one last look at Naruto. He was not weak. He was... quite interesting.

After she left, Naruto lay there for several minutes, gathering his strength. God he hated hospitals. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the IV needle from his arm and holding a tissue over it until the bleeding stopped. He slowly sat up. The room was spinning slightly, but he just waited for it to slow before going over and finding his clothes that were folded neatly on the table by the bed. They were crusty with blood, but he didn't have a lot of options. It was better than trying to walk out of the hospital with his ass hanging out of the open back of the hospital gown he had on. He was just about to get dressed when Gaara walked in, throwing a plastic bag on the bed.

"I saw your freaky attorney leave, so I figured you'd be heading out. Here are some fresh clothes. No point getting an infection right away by wearing the old ones."

"Thanks," Naruto said, wincing has he pulled off his hospital gown and pulled on the clean clothes. He left the bloody ones there. They already had his DNA, and everyone else's that had been involved, so there was really no extra evidence to be gleaned from the clothing.

"Let's go home and you can sleep it off. I called Sakura. She's going to swing by after her shift at the hospital today and check on you. She said you're an idiot, and if you bleed to death, she's going to hunt you down in the afterlife and kick your ass."

Naruto snorted. He had been Sakura's first ER patient when she had been interning. As soon as Naruto had regained consciousness, he had walked out of the ER. She had been so pissed off at the thought of potentially having her first patient die due to his own stupidity, rather than anything she did wrong, that she had called the police to get his address and shown up at his door, medical kit in hand.

Naruto had been passed out again, but fortunately Gaara had been there and explained Naruto's phobia of hospitals, saving Naruto from being attacked by the surprisingly strong physician and forcibly readmitted. She had patched him up on his couch, and since then, had been Naruto's 'go-to' person for medical treatment if things got bad. Naruto tried to avoid contact with her as much as possible, not wanting to get her dragged into his life. But he appreciated her help.

He really didn't want to end up back in here.

. . . . . . .

It had been almost three weeks since he had been released from the hospital. Or, to be more accurate, since he had escaped from the hospital. Orochimaru had called his cell and told him he would send a car to pick him up in an hour. The phone call had worried him, since he only ever used the burner phones that Nagato gave him. How the hell had Orochimaru gotten his number? Naruto said he'd meet the driver outside a church that was about six blocks from his apartment rather than giving his actual address.

Naruto hadn't been allowed to visit Hidan or Deidara yet in prison. He had heard that Konan had been released, but she had disappeared, and Naruto hadn't been able to find a trace of her. Naruto didn't trust the other members of the Akatsuki enough to seek them out, so he had just been waiting for something to happen.

And two hours later, he found himself standing in front of a man with long, black hair, pale skin and yellowish eyes. Naruto wasn't exactly afraid of him, but something about him made Naruto's skin crawl. He knew instinctively that he could not trust this man.

"So, you're saying all you want me to do is deliver these documents to the little brother of the assistant district attorney?"

"Yes. And of course, show him your respect. Uchiha Sasuke comes from one of the most prominent families in all of Japan. He is... a remarkable young man."

Naruto suppressed a shudder when the older man licked his lips. It was pretty clear from what Kakashi said that - while Naruto was not Orochimaru's type - this Sasuke guy definitely was.

"If I get stopped by the police, should I destroy the package?"

Orochimaru smiled. "Naruto, you have been working with Nagato for too long. There is nothing illegal in these papers. If someone asks to see them, then by all means let them."

Naruto stared at the man for a moment. "You know, I can do my job a lot better when I know exactly what it is. You could hire a courier service to deliver this if it's just a simple document. Or you could deliver it yourself."

"No, I need you to deliver it for me. A courier service wouldn't be able to read Sasuke-kun's reaction in the way I am hoping you will be able to. I hear you are a good judge of character. It would interest me to hear your thoughts on his response to the proposal. But it is too trivial a matter for me to be seen delivering myself. It would not reflect my stature in quite the right light."

Naruto sighed and shrugged. "If you're not going to tell me, then I guess there's nothing I can do. But don't blame me if something goes wrong just because you chose not to give me any information. I can't work off the bail money if I'm dead or back in jail."

"I don't make foolish mistakes like that. Just deliver the message, and see if he has any reply."

"Is there anything that you want me to say to him?"

"Nothing in particular. _You speak Japanese, yes_?" Orochimaru said, slipping into that language.

"_Yes_," Naruto replied, also speaking in Japanese. "_I speak it fluently_."

"_Excellent. And so interesting. I will be awaiting your return. Oh, and you should leave any weapons you might have on you here. They will search you at the door, since you are a new face_."

Naruto felt his nerves twitch. This could be a set-up, but he was too small a fish to warrant such measures. The one man who wanted Naruto dead enough to do something like this would confront Naruto directly. He didn't fear Naruto enough to bother with a trap. Blowing out a breath, he pulled out the knife he had in a sheath inside his jeans by his right hip. It could be thrown, or wielded at close-range, and didn't carry the penalties that a concealed fire-arm did.

He took the package from Orochimaru, noted the expensive address, and headed out.

. . . . .

Naruto looked around cautiously as the elevator opened, taking in the luxurious penthouse suite that Uchiha Sasuke lived in. There was complete silence in the room, and for a moment, Naruto thought maybe no one was home. But a small movement drew his attention to the tall, black-haired man standing in his living room, leaning against the counter of the wet bar in the corner of the room. It was spacious and well-appointed, clearly suited to entertaining groups of important people.

He had heard about Sasuke, of course. It was big news when someone so young had been elected to the city council. The tabloids were always filled of rumors about his (or his brother's) various lovers, their current business activities, what they had eaten for breakfast... Sasuke was known to be intelligent and charismatic, but reserved. He guarded his privacy intensely, and was thought of as a bit of an enigma.

Naruto's opinion was that he was less of an enigma and more of a snob, just like every other spoiled rich kid Naruto had had the misfortune to meet. The bastard didn't even acknowledge him as Naruto stood there at the entryway. Naruto was tempted to just drop the folder on the floor and walk back out, but he had agreed to deliver the message from Orochimaru and he wouldn't risk messing up such a simple first assignment out of spite. So he politely removed his shoes in the Japanese custom, and walked toward where the man stood watching him.

Naruto had walked over to Sasuke, and bowed in the traditional Japanese style, greeting him in Japanese. "_Uchiha-sama. I am Uzumaki Naruto. Orochimaru-sama requested that I deliver this proposal to you personally, and see if you have any reply you wish me to give him_." When the guy didn't even respond other than to just take the envelop from Naruto and open it, Naruto almost lost his patience. _This guy is a total asshole._

Naruto had learned long ago that he had no respect for people like this. Rich, entitled, and generally useless, too used to getting their way on every little thing just because of their family connections. No matter how many fancy degrees this guy likely had, he didn't impress Naruto. I mean, how hard is it to be successful when everything in life is handed to you on a silver platter? Guys like that bored him. They were annoying to listen to and frustrating to work for. And the few times Naruto had tried it with someone like this, they were also deadly dull in bed no matter how physically beautiful they were, male or female. _I bet this guy lays like a log. Takes his own pleasure, and doesn't bother with his partner's._ Naruto smirked, feeling definitely superior, at least in that arena. Naruto was a very physical guy, and he'd led a pretty dangerous life. He definitely believed that life was too short to hold back in anything, including in bed. If you found someone you wanted to be with in that way, then you gave it everything you had, even if it was just for a short time together.

Sasuke was still reading through the materials Orochimaru had sent, and Naruto's attention began to wander. He looked idly around the room, taking in the décor. It wasn't his specialty, but he had to admit to a certain desire to steal Sasuke's fancy katana. A spoiled princess like him probably didn't even know how to hold it. He snapped out of his larcenistic daydreaming when he realized the man was finally speaking to him.

"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Naruto heard the stress that the man had put on 'deep appreciation', leaving their implication quite clear. This guy... expected Naruto to... what? Fuck him? Suck him off? Naruto cursed Orochimaru and perverted politicians to hell. Sasuke was gay? He was pretty damn sure he'd never read anything about that. Was Orochimaru wanting to get naked pictures of Sasuke and some guy to blackmail him? If so, where were the cameras? Naruto had looked pretty thoroughly around the place when he had entered out of habit, and aside from the security cameras by the elevator entrance, he hadn't seen any other cameras. I mean, it's not like you can just climb into the window of a room on the 40th floor.

"I'm here to demonstrate Orochimaru's... deep appreciation?" Naruto said slowly. He supposed this was less of an ask than being told to kill someone, or being tortured for information about his employer. Both had happened in the past. But he was still going to chew Orochimaru out for this. No wonder the asshole had sent him. Clearly he must be Sasuke's 'type'. It seemed weird, though, because a guy like this shouldn't need help getting laid, even if he was a drag in bed. He was rich, powerful, famous, and good-looking. Maybe he just liked having sex with people he was in a position of power over. Naruto almost laughed at the thought of someone as pampered as this guy actually thinking he could control someone like Naruto. What a joke.

"I see," Naruto said, trying to decide how to play this. If the guy liked control, then Naruto would just make sure Sasuke lost control. Then he wouldn't ask for something like this again.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said, as he took three steps forward, effectively closing the distance between them, then sinking fluidly to his knees, bringing his face level with Sasuke's crotch. He looked up at the young politician, waiting to see if this was in fact what he was asking for. He didn't want to get thrown back in jail for sexual assault. _At least the guy is clean. And he's not bad looking, though he's probably had work done. No ones face is that fucking perfect._

The taller man's face seemed so disinterested, that Naruto hesitated. Had he gotten this wrong? Would they guy throw him out?

But then the man had simply raised a brow, indicating he was losing patience waiting for Naruto to proceed. Naruto undid the fastenings of the pants, and was a little surprised to see the state of the man's arousal. Evidently Sasuke had fairly good control of his facial expressions. Naruto smirked. But as with most men, Sasuke's downfall was his cock. There was just no concealing desire beyond a certain point when you're a guy.

Naruto looked up at the man. He would enjoy shaking this asshole up a little bit. Naruto knew he was good at this, though he had never done it as part of his job. But Naruto definitely liked it rough and intense, and some frigid princess like this guy definitely wouldn't be able to handle that. _This guy has no idea what he just asked for. _Naruto wouldn't go_ too_ far, but hopefully just enough that this ass would complain to Orochimaru and Naruto wouldn't be asked to do something like this again.

Naruto pulled Sasuke's heavy erection into his mouth. He ran his hands over the pale thighs that he had exposed, surprised to find them well-muscled. He had expected the rich man's body to be soft. Experimentally, Naruto slid his hands up under the politician's shirt, feeling the hard muscles of the man's abs as he continued to suck and slide his lips over the hard dick repeatedly.

Naruto hummed, sending vibrations along Sasuke's cock, gratified to feel the stomach muscles clench beneath his fingers. He gripped the man's hips hard, likely leaving bruises. He heard a ragged groan in appreciation, and was surprised. He had expected a complaint.

Curious now, Naruto used his teeth. It was definitely something he himself enjoyed, but he fully expected the man standing over him to pull back. Instead of scaring the man off, Naruto was surprised to find the guy thrusting aggressively into his mouth. This wasn't going as he had expected.

Naruto heard the man's breath become more labored as he continued, and watched the flush spread across his cheeks. He could see the spasms in the taut abdominal muscles, and saw how hard the pale hands were gripping the countertop.

Naruto pulled Sasuke's erection deep into his mouth with a long, hard suck that he knew would border on painful, but also was intensely pleasurable. He repeated the motion over again, adding teeth, and waiting for the man to shove him off.

The choked back groan the man gave when he climaxed caught Naruto by surprise. It was definitely one of the sexiest sounds Naruto had ever heard someone make. He looked up at the man, slightly stunned. The beautiful face was twisted with pleasure and release, the soft black bangs damp with sweat.

Sure, he was still a rich, spoiled, bastard. And probably still useless, despite the muscled body. But... he was actually potentially also... pretty damn appealing.

Naruto stood and walked behind the bar to pour himself a drink. He rinsed his mouth, then swallowed the rest. He watched as the black-haired man's breathing began to slow. Eventually Sasuke pulled up his pants and refastened them, then turned to Naruto, his face still flushed.

Naruto noticed the man's glace at his crotch, and the slight annoyance that flashed across the beautiful face at the fact that Naruto showed no signs of arousal. Naruto guessed correctly that it was not a common occurrence for someone to show no physical response to the flawless man in front of him. He was beginning to see why, though he was not about to admit it.

"Orochimaru asked me to deliver any reply to his request. Do you have any message you want me to give him?" Naruto was careful to keep his voice as bored as possible, as though he had just mowed the guy's lawn rather than sucked his dick.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the perfectly composed blond standing in front of him. "What if I tell him that I have no interest in helping him out on this matter?"

Naruto laughed. "Then my guess is he wouldn't try to trick me into doing shit like this again. So I suppose I'd be grateful."

_Grateful? This was... 'shit'? _Sasuke knew his brain was still recovering from the mind-blowing orgasm, but he knew he'd just been insulted.

"Get out," Sasuke said, his voice steely.

Naruto shrugged. "With pleasure."

As Naruto was pulling on his shoes, Sasuke asked him the question he knew he should have found out the answer to earlier. "How old are you?"

"A little late for _that_ question, eh, Councilman?" Naruto said tauntingly as he stepped into the elevator.

-xXx-

_To be continued..._

So... what did you think? please comment! I know this is quite a bit darker of a characterization for both these guys than what I normally write, so I am super curious about what you think about it.


	3. Chapter 3 - The first test

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly raising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **slight non-con feel, violence, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Disclaimer** - It wouldn't be fanfiction if I owned Naruto, now would it? And I wouldn't still be working my day job if I made any money writing this, that's for damn sure.

-xXx-

Sasuke poured himself a drink after the blond had left.

He felt... unsettled. He was a man who did not act rashly, and thought things through. A man of self-control and drive. It was what had enabled him to achieve what he had in such a short period of time. Like his brother, Sasuke did not make mistakes.

Yet tonight... he had allowed himself to be manipulated, and it had caught him by surprise. He was quite sure that this had been a test run, like all the other failed attempts in the past. Orochimaru probably had some interest in the outcome of the zoning vote, but if this approach had failed Orochimaru surely had either a back-up plan, or the matter was too insignificant to mind the minor loss.

No, the real test was always whether Sasuke could be bought through some means. He didn't know what Orochimaru's end goal for all this was, but he undoubtedly had one. If Sasuke voted against Orochimaru's interest, it would send the signal to Orochimaru that he would not be influenced by this. This was far from the man's first attempt at such measures. Orochimaru would offer something, it would be refused, he would come back later with something else.

By engaging in sexual activity with the boy, Sasuke had already tacitly accepted the offering. The question was now: would he follow through with the implied payment or not?

If he didn't follow through, it's possible that Orochimaru would try to get the boy to testify to some indecent acts with a minor (if he was a minor), or simply reveal Sasuke's sordid relationship with him to the press to try to damage him politically. And of course, if Sasuke refused to play, Orochimaru would not send Naruto again. He would continue searching for another route in.

If Sasuke did 'return the favor' in the upcoming council meeting, then Orochimaru would likely continue to use Naruto to try to garner favors from Sasuke.

It would probably be smarter to cut this off before it started. Sasuke poured himself another drink, swirling the amber liquid slowly in the glass before taking a drink, thinking about the events of the evening.

But then again, Sasuke thought, he could always sever the... 'relationship'... when he chose to. As long as the boy was legal and Sasuke was careful, it would simply be Sasuke's word against his if they decided to go to the press. And Sasuke was a city councilman, while Naruto had just gotten out of jail in one of the biggest takedowns in the past five years.

Yes. He could control this situation. All he needed to do was ascertain the boy's age. He could mitigate the other risks. Even if the boy were a minor, perhaps...

Sasuke thought of the insolent expression on the boy's face as he had knelt between his thighs, and felt his trousers tighten. He would enjoy having a chance to turn the tables on the blond... on Naruto_._ If Orochimaru's requests became too much, Sasuke could always refuse. He finished his drink, and set the glass down on the counter.

He walked to his large, marble bathroom, and turned the shower on. Within seconds, steam was billowing out from the large glass doors. He stepped in, allowing the multiple jets from the walls to spray his body, while the massive showerhead above him drenched his hair. He felt the heat and flow of the water to drain some of the tension away as he washed himself.

Surely the risks were manageable. As long as he wasn't a minor... Sasuke mentally shrugged as he stepped out of the shower, feeling relaxed. He grabbed a fluffy, perfectly white Egyptian cotton towel and dried his body, then slid on his black silk pajama pants, tying the drawstring at his waist. His groin was still sensitive from the evening's earlier activities, and the slither of the fabric over his organ had him closing his eyes briefly at the unexpected intensity of sensation.

He smirked. Yes, as long as the boy wasn't a minor. He could always just say no if Orochimaru's demands became too high. He didn't expect this minor infatuation he had with the blond to last very long anyway. Surely it was purely physical, just some sort of unusual chemistry between them. It would be short-lived and out of his system quickly, so he could get back to focusing on other things. And Naruto seemed to not have too much of an issue with it the whole thing. He wasn't some cowering child. Sasuke could allow himself this one deviation, and still maintain control of his life. He just needed a little more information to be sure he wasn't walking into something unexpected. He strode into the large, spacious bedroom adjoining the bath.

Picking up the phone next to his king-sized bed, he dialed. "Karin," he said, not surprised that she would answer a call from him on the first ring, despite the very late hour on a Friday night. "I need you to find out everything you can on the implications of the zoning change in my district that is coming for a vote next week, and any connections it might have to business or personal ventures for Orochimaru Sanin," he said, using the English positioning of the name. "I want to know any possible interest he could have in the outcome of the vote. Bring in Suigetsu to check from his route as well." He listened while she assured him that she would have everything by Monday morning, then hung up.

The second call he made was more difficult, but it had to be done. "Nii-san," he said, his voice calm. "Sorry for calling so late. I hope I am not catching you indisposed?... Still at the office? ... Yes, I suppose the Akatsuki case is keeping you quite busy... no, I'm home. Just getting ready for bed... yes, alone... how about I take you out to lunch tomorrow? You need to have some time to clear your head... no, there was nothing I needed tonight. I just wanted to see how you were doing with everything... great, see you at noon at your office."

Sasuke hung up. Of course, Itachi would know there was a reason for his call. It was impossible to hide anything from the man, but he could potentially at least minimize what he revealed. If anyone knew Naruto's true age, it would be his brother, who was prosecuting him. And if even Itachi doesn't know Naruto's age... well, it would be hard for the legal system to hold Sasuke accountable if even the State of New York couldn't figure it out.

Sasuke slid between the silk sheets on his bed, clearing the matter completely from his mind for the night. He'd make his decision once he had all the information.

-xXx-

Naruto pressed the buzzer on the Manhattan brownstone that Orochimaru had told him to return to when he had finished delivering the package. He wondered if the man lived here or if it were just one of his bases of operations. Naruto was still pissed off. He wasn't a sex trade worker, and he felt as though this task had been beneath him. It didn't make use of any of the skills he had developed.

A young man with spiky dark hair and dark eyes opened the door. He looked at Naruto with seeming annoyance, but motioned him inside. When Naruto had been there earlier in the evening, the boy had not made an appearance.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I was told to meet Orochimaru-sama here," Naruto said, his tone and posture clearly indicating he was not intimidated by the other man.

"I know who you are. Follow me," the young man said arrogantly. He led Naruto down the corridor to the library where he had met Orochimaru earlier.

"Zaku - leave us," Orochimaru said, waving the brunette away with the flick of a pale hand. The man slanted a final glare at Naruto, then left, closing the door softly behind him. "Please forgive Zaku. He was somewhat annoyed to have someone else deliver important messages for me. He is my usual courier for political matters."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, knowing his temper was showing and glad for it. "And should I guess why you chose me instead of Zaku?"

Orochimaru looked at him, expressionless. "You seem upset, Naruto-kun. Did something happen this evening?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Don't play with me. I made it very clear to Anko that I wasn't willing to sell my ass to make bail. If you took me on expecting me to change my mind, then you have made a poor investment."

Orochimaru looked intently at Naruto and licked his lips. "So something_ did_ happen. This is... pleasantly unexpected. May I ask who initiated it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Like I'd have any interest in some spoiled, rich asshole."

Orochimaru looked at him, his excitement showing though he was clearly trying to evaluate the truth of Naruto's words. "I want you to tell me _exactly_ what happened. Every word, every gesture."

Naruto suppressed a shudder. The fervor that lit the older man's eyes as Naruto described the encounter was just fucking creepy. Naruto didn't go into every detail, despite the man's probing. He just gave the basic summary: he delivered the package, Sasuke read through it, he read the part out loud about Naruto's role in this whole thing, Naruto was pissed off but still serviced him, and Sasuke didn't commit to agree to Orochimaru's terms when Naruto left.

"I won't do this shit again. If you were looking for someone who was good at this, you didn't look at my resume closely enough. If you need a bodyguard, someone to do recon, gather information or someone to intimidate someone, then I'm your guy. If you need a sex partner... look somewhere else. You pull a stunt like this again, and I'll just go down to the precinct and turn myself in for prostitution, naming you as my pimp." That would cause more trouble for Orochimaru than it would for Naruto, and they both knew it.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Surely you know what happens to pretty young men in prison. You might be strong, but you can't be on guard all the time. And there are only so many you can take down at once, no matter how tough you are. And then of course, there are always the guards. Don't think they don't like fresh meat either."

Naruto gave a feral smile. "I'll take my chances."

Orochimaru decided to switch tactics. If he forced Naruto too much, he would be less effective. Orochimaru didn't have leverage of the right kind on the blond yet. But he was expecting Anko to find some. There was always something that people cared about, or something that they wanted... always some way to tie them to you. Naruto would not be too hard to figure out. He didn't strike Orochimaru as a particularly complicated individual. Unlike the Uchihas.

"I heard some interesting rumors concerning Nagato's death," Orochimaru said, noticing the way the boy's face seemed to freeze at the mention of his former employer's name. Intriguing. "I heard that he wasn't killed by the police in the raid. I heard that he died by his own hand. And that his body guard was the only one with him at the time."

Naruto's face was completely blank.

"I am curious. The Nagato that I knew was extremely passionate and dedicated to his... work. It is hard for me to imagine him taking his own life."

Naruto stared at the pale man for a moment, but when he finally spoke, he voice was absolutely emotionless. "I have nothing to say to you or anyone else. If you want to know how Nagato died, or what he was thinking at the time, hold a fucking séance. I'm leaving. Don't contact me unless you have a real job for me."

"I can have your bail revoked," Orochimaru said coldly.

"Go ahead. I know what they have on me. I'll be out in less than a month, even without Anko's help." With that, Naruto walked out of the library to the front door. Zaku approached, looking as though he would intercept him, but a gesture from Orochimaru had the man standing down.

"Let Naruto-kun leave for now, Zaku. I'll be contacting him again soon, I'm sure."

Orochimaru could definitely ensure that Naruto was arrested and held longer than the boy seemed to realize. But he let the blond go without another word. He needed Naruto more compliant. He had waited years trying to find a chink in the Uchiha brothers' armor. Itachi had proven invulnerable. His only weakness was his little brother. So Orochimaru had focused his efforts there. Nothing had worked, until now. He wouldn't let Naruto go easily. He would build on this weakness. There were many ways he could play this. He didn't want to outright destroy them. No... one doesn't destroy such masterpieces.

He realized his hands were sweating. He took a breath and calmed himself. It would happen. There was no rush.

. . . . .

The heat in the subway was stifling as Naruto walked down the steps into the tunnel. Smells of garbage left in the sweltering sun wafted past, but he didn't mind. He loved the City in the summer. It was hot, sweaty, and gritty. But it was vibrantly alive.

There was a small group of street musicians playing on the platform. Naruto threw a dollar into the open guitar case as he waited for his train. You could disappear in this city from people trying to find you. Everyone minded their own business and stayed out of your way. No one looked twice at the person standing next to them. Nothing stood out as unusual, no matter how unusual it was.

He took the subway to the run-down apartment building where he and Gaara lived on 99th street in Spanish Harlem. They had originally lived in Chinatown, but after Nagato's group had some territory conflicts with one of the Tongs, they had relocated. It ended up being more convenient for Gaara anyway, given the organization he was working for was based at the very northern edge of the Upper East Side.

Naruto didn't mind that it was an 8th floor walk-up apartment. He and Gaara both hated elevators (floating death traps). The heat of the summer was full on, and he was sweating by the time he reached his door. He walked into the small studio apartment. As with most New York apartments, it was cramped, but clean. There was a small open room, where both Naruto and Gaara kept their pallets for sleep, and folded them up for seating during the day. There was a tiny kitchenette and a cramped bathroom. Naruto considered them lucky that the bathroom was not _in_ the kitchen. It was a configuration they had actually encountered when looking for an apartment.

He was not surprised to see Gaara waiting up for him. He was slightly more surprised to see the man standing clad all in black, including the black cloth covering the lower half of his face.

"Kakashi. You're getting careless," Naruto said, walking over to open the window and checking the fire escape to see if there was anyone watching from outside.

He didn't need to see the man's mouth to know Kakashi was smirking. "As if anyone could follow me without my noticing. Naruto... have you really forgotten?"

Naruto just sighed. He was tired. It had been a strange day.

"What does Orochimaru want you for?" Gaara asked flatly. He had already assessed Naruto's condition when he had walked into their apartment. Naruto looked fatigued, but there was no sign of injury on him.

"Well, it looks like we were both right," Naruto said, looking at Kakashi.

Kakashi simply raised an eyebrow.

"He wants me for a specific target. But he also wants my ass. Or I guess, more accurately, he wants to use my ass to get the target."

"Who's the target?" Kakashi asked, trying to figure out why Orochimaru would have chosen Naruto.

"Sasuke Uchiha. The ADA's baby brother."

Kakashi gave a low whistle. "I didn't even know he was gay. Did Orochimaru tell you why he chose you?"

"No. He must just know Sasuke's type, I suppose. And I guess I'm it," Naruto said, sighing wearily.

"I didn't know Sasuke had a 'type'. As far as I heard, he was pretty much asexual," Kakashi said thoughtfully.

Naruto snorted. "If that guy's asexual, then you're a Puritan."

Kakashi gave an amused look. "So... I take it that means he expressed interest in you?"

Naruto glanced over at Gaara, who's face was cold and expressionless.

"Yeah. He _expressed _himself just fine."

"Did Orochimaru make you have sex with him?" Gaara spoke, his words almost crystalline with danger.

"No," Naruto said. _Not yet, anyway._ "Just... some servicing." He didn't go into detail.

Kakashi snickered. "Oral or hand?"

Naruto glowered at the older man, unable to prevent a flush of embarrassment from creeping up his neck and across his cheeks. "Fuck you, pervert. Go read your porn if you are so desperate to hear about some action."

"You need to set up your new rate card. Five dollar sucky sucky, ten dollar fucky fucky. If you need any pointers, I can set something up with Fu. Or Utakata," Kakashi was still laughing at Naruto's embarrassment. Naruto casually threw a roundhouse at the man's head. As expected, Kakashi dodged it, but Naruto swept his leg, landing him on the floor. He didn't continue, feeling his point was made. Kakashi nimbly rolled up (still snickering somewhat) and simply returned to his position leaning against the wall clearly unfazed.

"Had you met Sasuke before?" Kakashi said, continuing as though there had been no disruption. "It seems like quite a leap for Orochimaru to randomly guess you would trigger something in the man, given Sasuke's reputation for being pretty aloof in that regard."

Naruto shook his head. "I've never met Sasuke or Orochimaru before tonight. I've met Sasuke's brother, though."

Kakashi shifted away from the wall. "And you're going to meet him again. Itachi was in the station today, talking to the officers who were complaining that the address we have on file for you is no good. It's still Nagato's. They sent some officers around to ask you to come down to the station to talk about Nagato's death, and what you know about it. But they couldn't find you. It seems there is more to the story than what you originally told me, Naruto."

Naruto sighed. Of course it would be too much to ask that they leave him alone on this. "Aren't they supposed to direct any questions to Anko? Or has Orochimaru already taken her off my case?"

Kakashi decided he would not press Naruto just now on the details of Nagato's death. The relationship the blond had with the man had been complex. He knew he'd have to tread carefully. "They were supposed to talk to her first, but they wanted to try to get you without her. After what she pulled in their last interview with you, they were hoping to 'accidentally' bump into you and ask you for a favor. But when they couldn't find you, they sent a request over to her office. But now they know you're not living at Nagato's, and they want a current address. Watch yourself."

Naruto nodded. He paid cash under a different name for the rent here, so there would be no paper trail. He and Gaara didn't have any credit cards, bank accounts, or phones other than the disposable ones they got replaced every month. None of their group did. They were ghosts. Only Kakashi knew how to find them all.

"Did Orochimaru say he was going to have your bail revoked?" Kakashi asked, taking a cigarette out.

Naruto pulled out his lighter and lit it for him. Kakashi took a long drag, right through the thin fabric of his mask.

"He threatened to when I said I wouldn't do more jobs like that. I told him to go hire a pro if that's the kind of work he needed done," Naruto grabbed Kakashi's cigarette and took a drag, then handed it back. Occasional smoking was Naruto's only vice. Alcohol or drugs dulled his senses, which was something Naruto couldn't afford.

Plus, smoking the silver-haired man's cigarettes had the added bonus of annoying the man.

Kakashi glared at the cigarette that Naruto handed back, but continued to smoke it anyway.

"So... are you fired already?" Kakashi said, blowing out a stream of smoke.

"Dunno," Naruto said, also exhaling a thin stream of smoke. "I told him I'd do other work for him. But I'm not going to let him pimp me out to everyone he's trying to milk for political favors," Naruto said. "The case against me is weak. No one in Akatsuki will testify against me, and there were no outside witnesses to anything involving me.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly. "You kill any of them?"

Naruto looked flatly at him. "I didn't say that. I just said there were none. Anko told me that all records involving Konan and me were destroyed before the raid."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes further at that, but didn't comment. "Don't quit quite yet if you don't have to. See what Orochimaru comes up with. Maybe he'll find other uses for you."

Gaara stirred at Kakashi's words. "Just watch your back. That guy has a habit of turning on his 'allies'. Especially the ones on the other side of the law, where he knows he can get away with it."

Naruto nodded. "I figured that. The guy's a snake. He's totally obsessed with Sasuke... it's fucking creepy."

Kakashi nodded. "He went after Itachi hard a while back. Itachi had to get a restraining order put on him. Looks like he thinks Sasuke might be easier prey. Did he say anything specific about what he was planning?"

Naruto shook his head. "No... it seemed more like... he just wanted to hear about any sort of sexual activity involving Sasuke. I actually felt more grossed out telling him about it than I did actually doing it with Sasuke."

Kakashi's eyes twinkled. He knew Naruto had taken both men and women as lovers in the past, though he'd been very selective in that regard. "Well, the Uchihas are very attractive, after all."

"Yeah, if you like assholes with sticks up their asses," Naruto grumbled. "Seriously, you should have seen this prick. He treated me like I was his fucking servant."

Kakashi shrugged. He had only met Sasuke once, but he knew Itachi and liked him. He found it amusing how much Sasuke seemed to have gotten under Naruto's skin. He was a little surprised that Naruto had gone along with what Orochimaru had asked of him. It certainly wasn't the first time that someone had tried to push the blond into that kind of activity. But it was the first time Naruto had actually gone through with it in the course of business. "Well, just play it by ear. If you end up back in jail, I'm sure Hidan and Dei will look out for you once they are out of solitary."

"They're still not allowed visitors?" Naruto asked. He was beginning to feel a bit desperate to talk to them and find out if either one knew what was going on with Orochimaru. If Kakashi didn't even know about it, he didn't know who else possibly could. And he didn't like being in the dark on something like this.

"They'll have to let them have visitors soon, or they'll run the risk of letting them get released on grounds of 'cruel and unusual punishment'," Gaara said.

"In the meantime, Naruto, you need to get in touch with Anko and have her meet you down at the station sometime tomorrow. If you are accessible, they might deprioritize trying to locate you," Kakashi advised. "You have enough people trying to find you. No need to add to the list. Once your actual address is on file..." he didn't bother to finish. They all knew how 'secure' the police records were. He might as well list himself in the phone book.

"Fine. I'll call her."

"She came to see me a couple of days ago, wanting to hear the details about your first arrest," Kakashi said, looking at his fingernails.

Naruto stilled. "Those records are sealed."

Kakashi looked up, "That's why she came to see me. She wanted to... persuade me to tell here about what I saw that day. She's a beautiful woman."

"You wouldn't rat me out for a piece of ass after all this time, Kakashi, so don't even pretend."

Kakashi snorted, and ruffled Naruto's hair. "But I'm sure I'm not the only one she's asked. Just look out. Orochimaru is looking for leverage on you. And he's looking in the right place."

Naruto nodded, heeding the older man's warning.

Kakashi gave a mock salute, then opened the window to the fire escape. "Contact me if something happens." And with that, he vanished into the night.

Gaara watched Naruto in comfortable silence for several minutes.

"You ok?" The redhead asked finally.

Naruto shrugged. "It was weird. But... it's fine. Whatever."

Gaara pulled off his shirt. "Let's go to the roof."

Naruto followed suit, throwing his dirty shirt into the corner of the small room on top of his pallet. It was their ritual. At least three or four times a week, they would pick the lock on the door to the roof and spar late into the night. It served the dual purpose of keeping their skills fresh, and relieving the tension. Gaara had never taken a lover, but the physical intimacy of sparring did not bother him the way other touches did. Gaara knew that Naruto needed something to steady his mind and release the stress. They had grown up learning very different methods, but they were equally skilled, making their sparring a challenge regardless of how long they had been together.

They were brothers in every sense except DNA.

It was several hours later when Naruto, slick with sweat, walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. There was a spurt of rust colored water and a sputtering noise as the pipes rattled. After a couple of minutes, the lukewarm water ran clear and Naruto stepped into the thin stream. The water never got hot, but at least it wasn't cold. And given the heat of the night and the fact that their apartment had no air conditioning, Naruto was more than happy with the temperature.

He lay down on the floor on his pallet while Gaara took his turn in the shower, thinking about the events of the day. He hadn't been lying when he said it had been more disturbing talking to Orochimaru about the interaction with Sasuke than it had actually doing it with the councilman. Mentally, Naruto shrugged. He supposed Kakashi was right. The Uchihas were very attractive. At least, physically.

-xXx-

Sasuke had just reached the main entrance of the district court building when he received a text from Itachi saying he had to run down to the station for an interview of someone they had been having a hard time locating and wouldn't be able to meet him for lunch. Itachi was coming out of the elevator just as Sasuke reached it.

"Sorry, little brother," Itachi said apologetically. "We've been trying to track this guy down for almost a week, and he just walked into the station out of the blue. We can't keep him long, since this is purely a voluntary interview. I want to be there to monitor it so they don't mess something up. Ibiki is gone for the weekend, and I don't know who they have on point today."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'll walk with you," he said, falling into step with Itachi as they strode towards the police station. "How are things going with the case?"

"It's going. We have enough evidence to put the main players away with no problem, as long as no one messes up. No one turned, though, which is unusual, but I guess Nagato was a pretty charismatic leader. There were only a few who we had to let go because we just didn't have enough evidence."

Sasuke decided there would be no way to slip the question in completely unnoticed, but this was as good a chance as he was likely to get. "What about that blond kid that went crazy in the holding cell?"

Itachi slanted a glance at him, and Sasuke mentally cursed. But Itachi answered the question, "He was one of the ones we had to let go. Orochimaru sent his top attorney to handle his case, but it was hardly worth Anko's effort. I am curious as to the connection there, but so far we haven't uncovered a history between those two."

"So he didn't end up going to juvie?"

"No. All evidence points to him being an adult. Though we don't really have a firm ID on him yet. It's like the kid just dropped out of the sky five years ago enrolled as a freshman in high school here."

Sasuke pretended only vague interest. Clearly there wasn't going to be a firm resolution on the matter, but it was good enough for now.

"Actually, he's the one that I'm going to observe the interview with," Itachi said, noting the brief flash of interest on his little brother's face before it was masked. "Sorry I won't be able to make lunch. But we'll catch up over dinner."

Sasuke simply nodded, noticing the shadows under his brother's eyes from exhaustion. Concern for his brother pushed out other thoughts as he touched Itachi's shoulder, causing the man to stop. "Itachi... let me know if there's anything I can do. You look exhausted. It's been a while since I clerked for someone, but I'm more than qualified."

Itachi laughed, but his eyes had softened at the offer. "Modesty doesn't become you, Otouto. You have enough on your plate as it is. But thanks," he pushed two of his fingers into Sasuke's forehead. It was a gesture that used to infuriate Sasuke as a child, but now he only smiled.

"Just be careful, nii-san."

-xXx-

"Anko's still not here?" Naruto asked the policeman sitting across from him in the interview room. "Orochimaru said she'd be here an hour ago."

The policeman shrugged. "We could always get started without her. She probably just decided that - since this is a voluntary interview rather than an interrogation - her presence was not necessary."

It was a lie and they both knew it. Naruto thought it likely that Orochimaru had decided not to send her. Either to try to teach Naruto a lesson for being insolent the day before, or because Orochimaru also wanted to learn the answers to the questions the police were going to ask today.

Naruto yawned and stretched lazily. "Seriously. I gave my statement. I have nothing more to say."

"Where you there when Nagato committed suicide?"

Naruto's face closed up. "It's been ruled a suicide?"

The policeman seemed to realize he had revealed something too soon. "Nothing's official. We just want to talk to you to get your side of the story."

Naruto smirked. "To compare with Nagato's side of the story? Damn, you guys are good if you can talk to a dead man."

"Look, kid. I don't think you realize what kind of trouble you're in. You better start talking," the officer blustered.

"Or what? I'm here voluntarily. I can walk out the door any time I want. So play _nice_," Naruto said, his voice mocking.

The officer looked non-plussed, and glanced nervously towards the mirrored glass. Naruto caught the glance, and turned to face it, knowing who was likely standing behind it.

"_Hey, Itach', if you wanted my number that badly you could have just asked me_," Naruto said in Japanese. The officer looked puzzled, clearly not understanding the language that was spoken. "_I know I came on a Saturday unannounced, so I didn't expect the top line-up for interviews, but seriously where did you find this guy? He couldn't interrogate my sandwich_."

The door opened, and Itachi walked in, clearly surprising the officer. Naruto just smiled.

"_How did you know I spoke Japanese_?" Itachi asked calmly in that language. Clearly Itachi was Japanese American, but he had been in this country so long that his English was accentless. Most people would not assume he could speak Japanese out of hand. But there had been something in Naruto's expression that felt like... it had been a deliberate 'slip' of knowledge showing he knew this fact about him.

Naruto shrugged, pretending the question was casual and meaningless. Itachi wasn't fooled. "_Are you kidding? I just got hired by Orochimaru. He knows whether you and your brother dress to the right or the left_*," Naruto said, still in Japanese, as he stood to leave. "_Of course I know you speak Japanese fluently_." He knew that if the interview was being recorded, Orochimaru would find out about this last exchange and likely be unhappy. But the man had stood him up, and Naruto owed him no loyalty. Plus, Naruto liked the ADA. Itachi seemed like a decent human being. There weren't very many of those in positions of power as far as Naruto had seen. The guy deserved a heads up. Something about Orochimaru set Naruto's teeth on edge.

Itachi simply waved a hand to the officer who stood to stop Naruto from leaving. The interview was over.

. . . .

Itachi returned to the observation room, looking at the man who had been watching the brief interview with him.

As usual, the brunette's hair was tied up into a spiky ponytail. The man had appeared to have been half asleep throughout the duration of the interview, but Itachi knew better. "Well, Shikamaru? What did you make of it?"

Shikamaru rolled his shoulders. He was a criminal psychologist brought in to assist on major cases, and Itachi had called him in as a favor on this one on instinct. "That was no ordinary kid. He was completely at ease and unintimidated by authority. Not hostile. Just unintimidated... it wasn't a front. He didn't even seem to care that his attorney left him dangling in the wind, even though he was clearly aware of the implications that Orochimaru could be withdrawing his support."

He looked to Itachi, who simply nodded. He had read the same thing in Naruto's expression.

Shikamaru continued, "He's been through something much worse that makes any tactics we have here seem like child's play. If you want to get anything out of him, you'd need Ibiki, or my dad. And even then... I doubt you'd get much. He knows we can only go so far. This is definitely not his first time through the system."

Again, Itachi nodded in agreement.

"Did you notice the faint scars on his face? Those were not accidental... too parallel and symmetric. My guess is that the guy has been tortured at some point. The clip from the security tape you showed me about the event in the holding cell where he attacked the fellow prisoner looked like a post-traumatic stress response. It seemed to be more from the physical attack rather than the sexual assault," Shikamaru sighed, "Net net, my read is this kid is dangerous and he knows way more than what he has said so far. But he's not loyal to Orochimaru, and is clearly conflicted about getting pulled into his organization. He gave you a veiled warning to watch out for Orochimaru because he seems to respect you, despite you being the ADA on his case. But you aren't going to get him to talk about something he doesn't want to talk about."

Itachi had let the interview end because it was clearly going nowhere. Naruto's parting words bothered him, though, especially since the blond had made a point of adding Sasuke into the warning. He got the sense that it was a message he should not take lightly. For some reason that he couldn't quite explain, he trusted the blond.

"I'm deleting the recording of this interview. We didn't learn anything from it," Itachi said. Shikamaru simply raised a brow. He knew Itachi was trying to prevent Orochimaru from hearing the tape. The police officer in the interrogation room would only be able to say that a few words of some other language had been exchanged, but nothing more than that.

-xXx-

There was a knock on Sasuke's office door. "Yes," Sasuke said tersely, checking his watch. He had less than ten minutes before he had to leave for his next appointment.

A redhead with glasses poked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, sir, but you have a call from Orochimaru Sanin. He asked to speak with you," Karin recognized the name from the search Sasuke had had her do over the weekend, but she was careful to let no recognition color her voice.

"Put him through," Sasuke said briefly, then picked up his phone as it rang. "Orochimaru-san, I was expecting your call."

"Sasuke-kun. It's good to hear your voice. I heard that the vote went through today?"

"Yes. I'm sure you will be pleased with the outcome," Sasuke said.

"So you appreciated the way I made my case on this matter," Orochimaru said, slightly taunting.

Sasuke's voice turned hard. "I voted in the interest of my constituents. Don't read too much into the situation."

He could hear Orochimaru's smile as he said, "But of course. I would expect nothing less from you, Councilman Uchiha."

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

yes, I know I have added more complications to the plot, but I promise I am keeping track of all the threads. But I think it's clear where this is going to go in the next chapter, yes? In terms of SasuNaru, anyway.

*for my non-native English speaking readers, this phrase "dressing to the right or the left" implies very intimate knowledge of someone. It literally is referring to whether a man places his penis to the left or right side of the crotch seam of his trousers for comfort when he dresses.


	4. Chapter 4 - Leverage

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly raising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **non-con feel continues here, sex, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Author's note: **Thanks to everyone who has commented or fav'd. I really appreciate the input and encouragement. :-)

-xXx-

Orochimaru looked at the paper that Anko handed him. It was a photocopy of the hand written notes in the pages of a police officer's notebook, documenting an interview with a homeless man that had taken place four years ago.

Orochimaru stared at it for several minutes, then looked up at the female attorney. "Why did Kabuto never bring this to my attention? Who was the prosecuting attorney on this case?"

"Kabuto. But the records went missing before there was even an indictment. He might never have seen this. Plus the boy was deemed to be a minor midway through the case preparations and the case was transferred to juvie."

Orochimaru frowned. He would have to reprimand Kabuto for this oversight. If not for Anko, it would have cost him his leverage over Naruto, and in turn over Sasuke.

"If the records went missing, how did you get this?"

"The officer's widow kept all his notebooks."

"Widow?" Orochimaru asked sharply.

"The officer was killed in a hit and run three months after this interview took place."

"And the homeless man, this witness?"

"Found dead of a drug overdose three days later," Anko said. "There is also something you should know about the interview you had me skip last weekend with Naruto. It seems he and Itachi had an interesting exchange."

Orochimaru drummed his fingers on his desk while he listened to Anko describe what she had learned about the events of last weekend from her discussion with the interviewing officer. His gaze was drawn back to the paper in front of him. Orochimaru definitely had leverage over Naruto now. This knowledge... with this knowledge he could make the boy do _anything._

The question was... was it worth the risk? There were few people that Orochimaru could say he truly feared. The name mentioned in this interview, though, was at the top of his list.

-xXx-

Sasuke was surprised that Itachi had been able to keep their weekly dinner on Saturday. The Akatsuki case had Itachi so busy that Sasuke hadn't heard from him in days. Itachi looked exhausted, and Sasuke was worried. Mostly for his brother's health, though Itachi always seemed to be able to handle anything.

A small piece of his worry was also that Itachi would somehow find out about what had happened between him and Naruto through the course of the investigation. Sasuke didn't feel apologetic about what had happened... Naruto was (apparently) and adult, and Sasuke hadn't forced him. But he also knew how his brother would react, and didn't want to deal with that. He also admitted to himself that he didn't want Itachi to find out because he would likely confront Orochimaru to ensure that there was no further interaction between Sasuke and Naruto. And after not seeing the blond for more than a week, Sasuke knew he wanted it to happen again. Badly enough that twice he had almost contacted Orochimaru rather than waiting for the man to call him. Almost. But in the end, his pride and sense of self preservation had stopped him. Orochimaru would come to him. Sasuke would wait.

Sasuke happened to glance up as two men walked into the restaurant. And froze.

_Naruto._

Sasuke's eyes raked over the blond, taking in how he looked in his tight black jeans, fitted burnt orange T-shirt, and black blazer. The restaurant had a dress code. Men must wear a jacket. Most came in suits, but many of the younger men pulled off the same look as Naruto, managing to look both casual and formal at the same time. Naruto looked older somehow, his face serious and alert, scanning the faces that surrounded him as Orochimaru approached the hostess likely to inquire about the readiness of their table. Sasuke wondered if Orochimaru were taking the blond on a date, or if this was business. While the notion of Naruto involved sexually with Orochimaru sent a wave of nausea through him, the business-like expression on Naruto's face said it was doubtful.

Sasuke belatedly realized that Itachi had stopped talking and turned to see what had so fully captured Sasuke's attention. Orochimaru had noticed them, and started to walk over with Naruto following behind. A brief feeling of concern settled in Sasuke's stomach as he considered the possibility that Orochimaru was here to disclose Sasuke's indiscretion with the boy to Itachi, and demand some sort of additional favor for keeping his silence. But if the state of New York viewed Naruto as an adult, the downside was minimal. Sasuke had already laid out contingency plan, and it would ensure that Orochimaru came out with more damage than Sasuke. It would be unpleasant, but he wasn't worried.

The creepy, yellowish eyes of the older man had latched onto them as he approached them.

Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's and they widened in shock. Clearly Naruto at least had had no idea that they would be meeting this evening. He saw the blond shoot an angry glare at Orochimaru, but the older man either didn't see it or chose to ignore it. Sasuke felt some relief that Naruto, at least, was not trying to set him up. Whatever was about to happen, the blond wasn't orchestrating it.

"Itachi-san, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said, bowing politely. The two men murmured their greetings, standing to return the polite gesture before returning to their seats. "What a pleasant surprise to see the two of you here this evening. Are you finished with your meal or just getting started?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, willing to bet anything that the man already knew the answer to this, but Itachi simply said, "We just sat down. Would the two of you care to join us?"

"Thank you, Itachi-san. I believe you already know Uzumaki Naruto," Orochimaru said smoothly, observing the reaction of the two men closely.

Naruto greeted the brothers briefly, wondering whether Sasuke had told Itachi of his dealings with him or not. Sasuke's face was impassive, revealing no sign of discomfort or surprise at seeing him here.

A waiter appeared and added two place settings. Orochimaru took the seat next to Itachi, and Naruto sat across from him next to Sasuke.

"Naruto-kun is serving as my personal security. I asked him to accompany me this evening as things have been... unsettled... in the community since Nagato's unfortunate passing."

Sasuke noticed Naruto's hand tense at the words, and he wondered what Naruto felt about the death his former employer. But Orochimaru had already dropped the subject and was moving on to something else.

"Itachi-san, I hear that you and Naruto-kun had in interesting conversation just the other day. It seemed... very intimate."

Sasuke glanced sharply to his brother, whose eyes were fixed on Orochimaru. "I was observing a fruitless interview with him at the station, if that is what you are referring to," Itachi said with seeming disinterest.

"Yes, but then I heard that you spoke together in Japanese. Was there something that you didn't want the interviewing officer to hear, I wonder? Somehow the recording of that session was erased. I heard that there was some concern over why that was."

"You hear many things for a man not employed by either the police department or the district attorney's office, Orochimaru-san," there was a slight warning in Itachi's voice, but Orochimaru simply smiled.

"I am just looking out for my employee. My attorney represents him, after all, and I had wanted to hear the interview. I would hate for Naruto-kun to say something that would get him in trouble. He is _so young_, after all." Orochimaru slanted a knowing glance to Sasuke, and Sasuke had to steel himself from reacting. Itachi saw the exchanged glance and it made him pause. There was only one reason Naruto's age would be an issue for Sasuke.

Naruto rolled his eyes at all the double-speak. He hated shit like this. He understood now completely what Gaara had meant when he said Naruto would not be a good fit with Orochimaru's approach. "Look, I told Itachi that I thought the guy who was interviewing me was an idiot. I didn't exactly want the cop to hear, and it was a pretty safe bet he couldn't speak Japanese. And if you were so worried about my well-being, Orochimaru-sama, then you should have let Anko come instead of telling her to wait three hours before showing up."

Orochimaru frowned. He hadn't been aware that Anko had disclosed this piece of information to Naruto. Of course, the boy probably would have figured it out without her help, but it gave Orochimaru pause. He had never fully trusted her the way he did Kabuto, but she was incredibly useful. He would need to watch her more closely. Especially with Naruto.

"I didn't know that you had such a close relationship with Itachi-san that you would feel the need to discuss something like that with him," Orochimaru said, watching both Itachi's and Naruto's expressions. Itachi's face was inscrutable. Naruto knew his was not, but he needed to play this properly. By now he had realized the purpose of this 'coincidental' meeting with the Uchihas. It was this conversation. Orochimaru was suspicious, and wanted to see if there was a relationship between him and Itachi.

"Itachi was decent at the station when they brought us in," Naruto said, looking down at his napkin. It was the truth. Naruto had remembered the man, and been surprised by how honorable he had seemed. Most of the cops would have been just as happy to see them die, and save the taxpayers the expense of the trial. "He was the only one who seemed honestly concerned about us. And he's been fair, especially with Konan. So..." Naruto's gaze flicked to Itachi, then back to his napkin. "... thanks. Anyway, I just figured he should know the guy he had interviewing me was an idiot and he was wasting his time." Naruto had a small blush on his cheeks, seemingly embarrassed by what he had said. In truth he was embarrassed. He could count on one had the number of people who had ever shown concern for his safety and well-being without wanting something specific in return. Itachi had been one of them. He remembered the panic in the older man's voice when he realized Naruto was injured and bleeding. He had been surprised, and slightly grateful, even if it had led to him landing in a hospital.

Itachi knew that - in part - Naruto was being truthful. He was explaining to Itachi why he had warned him and at the same time trying to calm Orochimaru about the nature of their conversation and relationship. And Naruto was telling just enough of the truth that it came across as completely honest. All he had left out was the implicit warning about Orochimaru's interest in Itachi and Sasuke. Through his career as an attorney, Itachi had developed almost a sixth sense at detecting deception. He knew that Naruto wasn't a good liar, but evidently the boy had found a mechanism for getting around the issue by using statements close enough to the truth that they disguised the lie.

Orochimaru seemed satisfied. Itachi noticed, though, that Orochimaru's glance had shifted to Sasuke. When Itachi turned to look at his brother, he was shocked at the burning look that was leveled at him. It was one that he hadn't seen in years. _Why is Sasuke jealous?_

A tiny smile appeared on Orochimaru's thin lips, and it made Itachi shiver. Something was very wrong.

Just then their waiter appeared. "Could I get you gentlemen some drinks while you look at the menu?"

Itachi, Sasuke, and Orochimaru all ordered drinks, but Naruto shook his head. "I don't drink, thanks," he said, indicating he'd stick with just water.

Sasuke raised a brow, clearly remembering the drink Naruto had had in his apartment the other evening. "I only use alcohol in mouthwash. Good for killing germs or whatever," Naruto drawled slightly, his eyes glinting with suppressed laughter.

Sasuke felt his eyes narrow, but realizing that both his brother and Orochimaru were watching him intently, he schooled his features to his usual mask of indifference.

Orochimaru felt positively gleeful as he watched the nonverbal exchange between the two younger men. This was far better than he could have hoped. Naruto had not only apparently captured Sasuke's interest, but he seemed to be creating friction between the brothers, something that Orochimaru had not ever thought would be possible.

He decided that it was in fact worth the risk to use the information he had gleaned to bind Naruto to him. He would just be extremely careful to create a good enough plan that the significant risks could be mitigated. If he could have both Sasuke and Itachi, he would no longer need Kabuto's services. Any of them. He fought hard to keep his feral grin concealed behind his polite demeanor.

Naruto's attention was drawn to a man in a corner table by the rear exit to the restaurant. He had noticed him arrive shortly after he and Orochimaru had. The conversation between Orochimaru and the Uchihas had shifted to business and political matters, neither of which were of interest to him. Naruto shot a glance to Orochimaru to get his attention. "The man at the corner table. Is he yours?"

Orochimaru didn't even glance over. "Why would I have brought secondary protection?"

Naruto simply nodded, then placed his napkin on the table. "Please excuse me for a moment," he said, rising and walking casually over to where the man was sitting, aware of three pairs of eyes following him.

The three watched as Naruto bent and, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, whispered something to him. The man paled, and his glance shifted fractionally to where Orochimaru was sitting, then down to where Naruto's other hand was resting in the pocket of his blazer. He stood, and followed Naruto out the rear of the building. Orochimaru resumed the conversation to draw attention away from Naruto's actions. Fifteen minutes later, Naruto returned to the restaurant. He called the water over and - after a brief conversation - paid what appeared to be the other man's bill before heading to the men's room.

He returned a few minutes later and took his seat next to Orochimaru.

"Was there a problem?" Orochimaru asked casually, glancing at the scrapes across the back of Naruto's knuckles.

"No," Naruto said calmly, but with a hint of annoyance. "Though next time you set a test for me, you might want to consider the costs."

Orochimaru raised a brow. The man he had paid to follow them to see if Naruto would notice him was not one of his regulars, but had come highly recommended. The fact that Naruto had spotted him almost immediately, and had been able to make the man reveal his employer annoyed him. Itachi and Sasuke watched the exchange with interest. Orochimaru wondered if Naruto had killed the man, which would be problematic for him. But he would have to wait until the privacy of the car ride to find out. Aside from the social impropriety of the topic, one does not discuss a potential murder in front of someone from the district attorney's office. And if Naruto was truly foolish enough to have killed him with so many witnesses to their interaction... then Orochimaru would leave him to his fate.

The rest of the dinner passed relatively uneventfully. Orochimaru, Itachi and Sasuke continued their discussion of business and politics, which Naruto largely ignored in favor of scanning the restaurant and its inhabitants. He felt Sasuke's eyes on him, particularly when he'd place a bit of food in his mouth, but he was careful to avoid making anything but fleeting eye contact with the man. He had to admit that Sasuke was an amazingly attractive man. Seeing him next to his brother, he realized that Sasuke's looks might actually be natural, and not enhanced, given the similarity between the brothers. But he was not about to indicate by any look or gesture that he found the man anything other than pampered and useless. He didn't want Orochimaru to take it as a sign he had enjoyed his previous assignment. And he also... just really wanted to piss the younger Uchiha off. He didn't know exactly why, but somehow, he got great pleasure in seeing the flashes of annoyance in Sasuke's nearly expressionless eyes that Naruto's refusal to fawn over him was creating.

When they were in the limousine heading back to Orochimaru's brownstone, Orochimaru finally asked him.

"Is he dead?"

"No, but he will be sending you his medical bills."

Orochimaru decided not to press the matter further. "I was pleased with you tonight. I have decided to keep you on."

Naruto turned, narrowing his eyes. "Why would I agree to that? It was clear you didn't really need my protection. If you want to avoid being followed, it seems the easier route would be for you to simply quit paying people to follow you. You've been refunded my bail money since the charges were dropped. I can get the police department to pay my medical bills, given that they were the ones responsible for my injuries. That leaves just Anko's fees. And I can pay for those."

Orochimaru looked at him, and Naruto was disconcerted by the fact that he seemed amused. "So, are you turning in your resignation?"

"I think it's pretty clear after tonight that you don't need me, and it's also clear that I don't work the way you do. I'm not good at deception and political double-speak. It honestly just annoys me."

"We came away from this evening with very different conclusions, but that is not surprising," Orochimaru said, still seeming completely confident. "I think that you will find working for me to your great advantage. And walking away... extremely dangerous."

Naruto waited, knowing that Orochimaru was withholding something from him, but not sure what it was. In his experience, staying silent was the best approach in these situations. After a few moments, Orochimaru spoke.

"I know who is hunting you. And I know why."

Naruto's blood froze, and he went perfectly still. He glanced surreptitiously at the door of the limousine. They were locked. He wondered where the button was to release them was, or if he should just kick the window out and jump. If Orochimaru was delivering him to that man, he would be an idiot to remain in the car. They were still in midtown, and only going about 20 miles per hour on the Hudson River Parkway due to the heavy weekend traffic. It would be a tough landing, but his chance of survival was better than it would be if he was right about what was going to happen.

"I don't know where he is. I have never had the occasion to meet him. But I can help you find him," Orochimaru said quickly, correctly reading the tension in Naruto's body as being posed for flight.

Naruto paused. He wasn't being handed over? No one would willingly involve themselves in this situation. "Why would you help me?"

Orochimaru smiled. "Because I want the Uchihas more than I fear the person you are playing cat and mouse with."

Naruto looked at him flatly. "Then you are an idiot."

"Perhaps. But I have vast resources and networks that I will make available to you, as long as you do what I ask. You are trying to find him before he finds you. It is your only option. I don't know yet how the two of you came into contact, but I know that you saw his face and can describe him. And I know you killed his partner, even though the charges were dropped. As you said, I would be a fool to want to involve myself too much in this situation. I won't actively help you against him, but I will allow you to use my contacts to gather information and try to find him on your own."

"Those charges were dismissed," Naruto said, knowing it was irrelevant, but feeling exposed and defensive.

"I read the officer's interview notes."

"I thought those went missing."

Orochimaru just smiled.

Naruto took a breath, then blew it out slowly. He knew he could not trust this man. "And if I refuse?"

Orochimaru's smile thinned maliciously. "Then I will use all my considerable resources to be sure that he knows exactly where you are at all times. Your picture will be in every newspaper, and there will be people following you every minute of every day, cataloging every friend and acquaintance you have. You know how... _thorough_... he can be. All he'd have to do is look up, and he'd see you. And everyone you have ever cared about will die before he finally kills you as well."

Naruto sat there. He couldn't trust what Orochimaru said, but he knew the man would make good on his threat. He could hide himself and probably Gaara. But there were others... Sakura, Kakashi, Hidan, Dei, Konan... even Itachi and Sasuke. Some of them had actual lives that couldn't be walked away from, and they would be killed just for having even tentative associations with him in the fear that Naruto had said something. Of course, Orochimaru didn't seem to realize that he would also be on that list. Naruto wondered if the man were stupid, or bluffing. Or crazy. "So, what do you want from me?"

"For now, I simply want you to live in my brownstone. Things have progressed further than I had anticipated with your interaction with the Uchiha brothers, and I need to decide what the best course of action will be."

Naruto slowly nodded. "Ok."

"We can go to your place now and get your things."

Naruto's face hardened. "No. There's nothing I need there. You can purchase whatever clothing or weapons I require."

Orochimaru was displeased, but he knew that Naruto simply wanted to ensure that he did not discover where he lived. Likely because he was protecting someone who lived with him, or visited frequently.

"Very well. Out of curiosity, though, why did Nagato take you into his organization after you killed one of his lieutenants?"

Naruto looked at him, but remained silent.

"Are you refusing to answer the question? I thought we just discussed the price of disobedience."

"Honestly..." Naruto's face softened slightly, "... I didn't understand why he didn't just kill me when we first met. When he picked me up from the courthouse when I was being released, I assumed that's what was going to happen."

"But he didn't?"

"No. He offered me a job instead. Look, I'll do what you want. But in addition to access to your network, I want you to get me access to Hidan and Deidara. They won't let me visit them. You fix that, let me use your organization's resources, and I'll do what you want."

-xXx-

Three days later, Sasuke opened a large envelope that was in with his mail. He pulled out the contents, and stared, a frown marring his brow. Inside were photos of him. Walking to his car, getting coffee across the street from his office, there were even photos taken of him in his kitchen, though clearly they had been taken through a telephoto lens from a building nearby through his penthouse window. With them was a simple note. "Leave town."

He stared at it for a bit. It was not the first time he had been stalked. He picked up the phone in his apartment and called down to security.

"Jugo. Has anyone tried to come up to my apartment, or been asking about me in the past month?"

"_No sir. I would have reported anything unusual to you immediately._"

_"_It appears I have another stalker. Just let me know if you notice anything unusual. And go through the security cameras for the past week or two... just double-check that there is no one hanging around that shouldn't be."

"_Do you wish me to inform the police, Sasuke-san?_"

"Not at this stage. All that was sent were some photos and a note telling me to leave town. I've definitely had worse."

There was a slight pause, as Jugo clearly didn't agree with this decision. But the guard said, _"Ok. But if I see anything suspicious, I'm calling the police immediately."_

"Of course, Jugo."

Sasuke hung up, put the letters in a file and stored them in his desk. Then he finished getting ready for bed.

The next morning he was awoken by someone sitting on his bed. He didn't need to open his eyes to recognize the presence. "Itachi. Let me guess. Jugo called you," Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.

"I would have preferred if you called me. Since I know you won't, I ask Jugo to keep me informed."

Sasuke sighed. Being angry at Jugo was pointless. No matter who it was, he knew his brother would always find a way to be informed on all aspects of his life. Although there were a few elements that Itachi had not yet managed to learn about. Thank god.

"Have you had any run-ins with Orochimaru recently?"

Sasuke briefly wondered if his brother were literally able to read his mind. "You mean aside from the dinner that we had with him a few nights ago?"

Itachi looked at him. "What are you not telling me?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. It was too early in the morning for this. "Itachi, I have no idea who sent the pictures. It's not like this is the first stalker I've ever had. There has been no sign that anyone has actually been in the apartment building at all. As long as this is just some crazy person from a distance, it doesn't meet the bar for going to the police. All they will say is 'if I see anything suspicious, call them'."

Itachi just looked at him flatly. "What are you not telling me?" he repeated.

"Nothing related to this. Itachi, I'm twenty-five years old. You don't need to monitor my every move anymore."

Itachi place two fingers on his brother's forehead, pressing his head slightly deeper into the pillows. "But you're still my little brother. I'm always going to worry about you," he shifted on the bed so he was reclining on a pillow next to Sasuke. "Naruto warned me that Orochimaru is... still fixated on us. I think we should have the police look into this."

"How well do you know Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his tone causing Itachi to raise his brow in question.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Orochimaru implied that there was something going on between you. He's half your age."

Itachi regarded his brother for a moment. There were six years separating them, but sometimes Itachi felt more like Sasuke's father then his older brother. "You find him attractive."

Sasuke stood. "Don't be annoying. He's a felon who probably didn't even finish high school. I'm going to take a shower. I have work this morning. I am assuming you do as well."

"Fine. But I'm going to talk with the police. I want someone watching your apartment."

Sasuke didn't answer. He knew it would be fruitless to argue, and he doubted that the police would consent to monitoring him with no clear threat even if Itachi requested it.

-xXx-

Orochimaru stood in Itachi's office. "Thank you for seeing me, Itachi-san, Sasuke-kun" Orochimaru began smoothly.

"I was surprised to receive your request to meet with my brother and me this morning," Itachi said, his face cold as he skipped the formalities of greeting the older man.

"Yes, I heard some disturbing news that someone has threatened Sasuke-kun, and I wanted to discuss the matter with you and offer my assistance."

"Are you the one who sent the photos to Sasuke?" Itachi cut to the chase, his voice cold and hard.

"No. It actually goes directly against my interests to try to drive Sasuke away," Orochimaru said, knowing that any attempt at evading Itachi's query would be counter-productive.

"And what exactly _are_ your interests when it comes to my brother, Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru noted the absence of the honorific, but didn't comment. He knew how dangerous Itachi was when it came to protecting his brother. Orochimaru honestly felt lucky that he was merely being watched by the police if Itachi suspected him of this. Itachi was known for always playing by the rules, and winning due to his ruthless intellect rather than under-handed means. But Orochimaru knew that all bets were off when Itachi's brother was involved.

"I have only the highest regard for you and your brother, Itachi-san. All I have ever desired is a closer linking of our interests. Anything that threatens either of you I consider a personal affront to my own. I want to help to identify who is behind this. The police have informed me that they will have someone monitoring Sasuke-kun's apartment building. But I have... avenues of search that are not open to them."

Itachi narrowed his eyes that the police had chosen to inform Orochimaru of their surveillance before they had consulted him. But he wasn't surprised. Orochimaru had several informants on the squad.

"I also would be willing to volunteer the services of one of my men to serve as Sasuke-kun's personal security until this matter is resolved," Orochimaru said.

"Absolutely not," Itachi stated flatly. He had actually tried to talk Sasuke into hiring some personal security earlier that day, but Sasuke had brushed it off as an over-reaction at this stage. He noticed, though, how Sasuke had stiffened at Orochimaru's offer.

"It is someone you are already familiar with, I believe. Uzumaki Naruto."

Itachi was watching his brother's face. And the look that flashed across at the mention of the blond's name was... possessive.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Somehow, Naruto and Sasuke had met, and something had happened between them. Itachi wondered what the circumstances had been, and how Orochimaru was involved. But he knew better than to ask the question directly, especially in his office where the answer could be overheard.

"Very well," Sasuke said, earning a sharp look from Itachi. "But he doesn't stay in my house, and he only accompanies me to events when I deem protection necessary."

Itachi studied first his brother, then Orochimaru in the silence that greeted this statement. Orochimaru was clearly waiting for Itachi's reaction. Itachi knew that, despite the public image the man maintained, Orochimaru very well could be behind this threat. If so, then likely his entire purpose was to get Naruto and Sasuke together. But Itachi knew that Naruto was not fully under Orochimaru's influence, and that Orochimaru was not aware of this. And Itachi had learned more about the boy's history. Naruto was dangerous. Though in these circumstances, that was almost a benefit.

He took a quick breath as his mind raced through the thoughts and potential scenarios. In the end, Itachi trusted Naruto. And whether Orochimaru was behind this or not, if someone was targeting his brother with physical harm, Naruto was more qualified than anyone else Itachi could think of to protect him. What was the old saying? _It takes a crook to catch a crook._

"I thought you didn't want protection," Itachi said, making one last minor push to derail this, though he could see in Sasuke's eyes that the decision was already final.

"I'm tired of wasting any more time talking about this. Everyone seems to think I need more security for a brief time. Fine," Sasuke turned to look at Orochimaru. "Just make sure to dress him properly. If he is going to be accompanying me, I can't be seen with an Abercrombie reject."

Sasuke worked to keep his features impassive. He wanted this. He was used to getting what he wanted, and the fact that he had to resort to less-than-savory tactics might have stung his pride slightly, but in the end that only fueled his desire to do it. Part of it, perhaps, was the lack of interest that Naruto had shown. It was possible that this was simply the old cliché of the thrill of the chase. Sasuke had never had to chase. Never.

Besides, he didn't want a relationship with the blond. He just wanted to work him out of his system. This was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Orochimaru smiled, as though reading Sasuke's thoughts. "Of course. I will have him come by your office this afternoon to review your schedule and discuss your needs."

Sasuke frowned. "I have a tight schedule for the rest of the day. I don't want to waste my time with this, or have him disrupting my office."

"Very well. I can have him drop by your home after dinner. You can let him know of all your requirements at that time." With that, Orochimaru took his leave.

"Sasuke," Itachi said when they were finally alone. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I thought you wanted me to have protection."

"Yes, _protection_. You have no idea who this person is. Naruto could be an assassin. You certainly wouldn't be the first person he has killed."

Sasuke stilled, but found himself curious rather than afraid. "Really?"

"Despite what we have on file, we really don't know what this guy's identity is, much less his age."

Sasuke didn't miss the implication that Itachi had clearly figured out Sasuke's intent to use this situation for more than security purposes.

"Well, I hardly think it would be fair to hold me to a higher standard than the state of New York. If our entire police and legal departments can't figure out this guy's age, I'm not going to worry about it."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Itachi sent his parting shot as Sasuke walked out his door.

. . . .

Sasuke grabbed the silver tongs and dropped two ice cubes into the tumbler, pouring an amber liquid over them. He swirled the liquid in the glass for a moment, looking at Naruto as the boy removed his shoes. It was 10pm, and Sasuke had to be up by 5am for a meeting the next morning. "Take off your shirt."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and didn't move. When he first walked in and saw Sasuke standing behind the bar, he had thought the Uchiha was naked. He was shirtless, but Naruto then noticed the waistband of what looked like black silk sleeping pants he could barely see from above the black granite countertop.

"Take off your shirt and come here," Sasuke repeated, taking a slow swallow from his glass. Naruto did not allow his eyes to linger on the sight of how the pale man's throat muscles moved when he swallowed, nor the finely sculpted form of his chest and arms. Much more defined than Naruto would have expected.

"Why?" Naruto asked casually, though he already knew the answer. Had known it from the second that Orochimaru had told him to meet Sasuke in his home late at night to discuss his schedule and 'other needs'.

Sasuke walked out from behind the bar, the impressive tent in his silk pants clearly evident. He stood casually, leaning back against the counter much as he had the last time Naruto was in his apartment.

Sasuke watched Naruto, reading the glance that the blue-eyed man slid over his body, noting that there was no surprise registered. Naruto had accepted the assignment of being his temporary security. Given their previous interaction, he must have guessed, or been informed by Orochimaru, what that would entail. Sasuke felt no need to beat around the bush about it.

"Hurry up. I don't have all night to wait around."

"Fucking asshole," Naruto breathed out, quietly, but loud enough that it was clear Sasuke was meant to hear it.

Naruto did as instructed, slowly unbuttoning the white dress shirt he wore, revealing the black tank top beneath it as he tossed the shirt to the floor. He grabbed the hem of the tank top and pulled it over his head. He could feel the heat of Sasuke's eyes slide over him. Naruto knew his body was toned and attractive, though he usually didn't go around shirtless. He had two tattoos, one on his right arm, and one on his navel. Each had significance, and were potentially recognizable to people in certain circles and could be used to identify him, or at least people he was associated with. Sasuke was not likely to know their meaning, though, so he simply complied.

"I take it you like tattoos," Naruto said dryly, noting the damp patch that had appeared where Sasuke's cock was straining against the silken pants. The sight was more arousing then Naruto cared to admit, so he forced himself to think of Orochimaru's tongue, a sight that never ceased to revolt and disturb him. He felt the slight tightness in his jeans instantly vanish. "I'm surprised that a guy like you would enjoy something so low class," Naruto continued as he walked toward where Sasuke was standing. "But I guess rich guys can have kinks, too."

"Stop talking and put your mouth to better use," Sasuke said emotionlessly.

-xXx-

_to be continued_

(Note - while there will be a lot of sex in this story, I am not going to do full lemons for all of it, since that would be... annoying. I will show significant events in their sex life, like first time they have full sex, first time they kiss, first time it means anything, etc but not every time with all the details. This won't be PWP, which will probably make some people happy and some people annoyed, but it is what it is).


	5. Chapter 5 - Pretense

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly raising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **non-con feel, violence, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Author's note** - Special thanks to everyone who commented on this story. Hearing what you think about the story is the whole reason I post it.

-xXx-

"_I take it you like tattoos," Naruto said dryly, noting the damp patch that had appeared where Sasuke's cock was straining against the silken pants. The sight was more arousing then Naruto cared to admit, so he forced himself to think of Orochimaru's tongue, a sight that never ceased to revolt and disturb him. He felt the slight tightness in his jeans instantly vanish. "I'm surprised that a guy like you would enjoy something so low class," Naruto continued as he walked toward where Sasuke was standing. "But I guess rich guys can have kinks, too."_

_"Stop talking and put your mouth to better use," Sasuke said emotionlessly._

Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke expected 'full service' or if they could basically proceed like last time. He plan was to bluff his way through. Worse come to worse, Naruto had had one night stands in the past, and he supposed he could look at this as something similar. But at least with those, there had been some connection where he had felt actual liking for the person in some way. He had never done it based on looks alone. More importantly, it had been Naruto's _choice_ to sleep with them. He knew next to nothing about the man before him, except that he was handsome, wealthy, hung, and a complete asshole. And most importantly Naruto was _obligated_ to do this. Not free to choose for himself. It pissed him off, but he knew Orochimaru would make good on his threat to publicize his location and identity, which would be exceedingly dangerous to Naruto.

So Naruto would do this. But he would make sure Sasuke knew this was nothing but a chore for him. He didn't want to give Sasuke the satisfaction of acknowledging that he was attractive. If at all possible, Naruto hoped that hand jobs and blow jobs would satisfy this part of his 'service'. He'd just have to make them satisfying enough to make it sufficient. He didn't want to give the level of intimacy that actually fucking Sasuke would bring. Hopefully, whatever this stalker situation turned out to be, he'd be able to resolve it in a week or two. Even if the stalker was a pro, Naruto figured he shouldn't have too much trouble.

He regretted that he had misjudged the councilman the last time. Rather than putting Sasuke off by being rough and aggressive, Naruto had evidently turned him on. He would be lying if he said he didn't find that intriguing, and in any other circumstance...

But this was not Naruto's choice. And Sasuke knew it. Naruto was not going to get emotionally involved with this. He had talked with Fu and Utakata about their work, and knew that was the number one rule when sex was part of your job. Keep it impersonal. So that was his goal. No kissing, and – if possible – no actual fucking. Minimal conversation outside of what he needed to know about Sasuke's schedule and potential stalkers.

Naruto laughed softly, walking up to stand directly in front of Sasuke, "What, your regular fuck got tired of your frigid personality, or are they just out of town for the week?"

Sasuke ignored the comment, and simply took another drink from his glass, his eyes locked on Naruto, looking almost bored. The front of his pants said otherwise.

"You're still talking?" Sasuke drawled.

Naruto snorted, but slid his palm along Sasuke's length, letting the silk slide along acting almost like lubricant. Standing face-to-face, he could see the black eyes darken with lust as Sasuke's lids fell to half mast. Naruto felt the heat of the breath expelled from Sasuke's lips at his touch.

Naruto slowly increased the pace of his strokes, feeling the dampness growing in the fabric with Sasuke's arousal. This close to the man, he could see the pulse in Sasuke's throat and the subtle flare of his nostrils as he fought showing any sign of pleasure from the ministrations to his cock. Naruto smiled wolfishly. He would change that.

The fabric was becoming so damp that the friction was making the motion almost painful against the delicate skin sheathing Sasuke's marble-hard erection. Naruto tugged the silk drawstring of the pants to untie it, and reached inside for direct skin-on-skin contact. Sasuke's precum served as sufficient lubricant. Again Naruto was struck by the man's control of his emotions, to clearly be this turned on while standing seemingly casually holding his drink.

But he couldn't conceal all reaction. Sasuke's breath was now coming in shallow pants, his eyes still locked with Naruto's. Naruto saw Sasuke's pupils dilate, the knuckles whiten as his hand viced around the glass, and the black head fall back slightly. It was the only indication that Sasuke was about to cum. Naruto quickly stopped pumping and griped his fingers tightly around the base of Sasuke's cock, acting like a cock ring and preventing him from cumming.

"Not yet," Naruto breathed. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything, his breath still coming in rapid pants. Naruto could see the sheen of sweat now on Sasuke's pale chest, and briefly admired the play of light against the smooth muscles defined there. Naruto kept his grip tight around Sasuke's cock with his right hand while his left reached two fingers into the glass Sasuke was holding and pulled out one of the ice cubes. He placed it in his mouth, between his back molars. He saw that the pulse in Sasuke's neck had slowed somewhat, so he released his grip and sank to his knees.

Immediately he pulled Sasuke's erection into his mouth, knowing the exquisite contrast Sasuke would feel between the freezing ice and the heat of his mouth against his sensitized flesh. He felt satisfaction at the hiss he heard escape the chiseled lips. Naruto thought briefly of the on and off affair he had had with Fu, when she had shown him this. He knew it would increase the sensation ten-fold. Sasuke's shuddering groan was cut off, but still audible. Naruto rotated the position of the ice with his tongue, the melting water in his mouth necessitating more suction to keep the seal of his lips around Sasuke's flesh.

_"Fuck,_" he heard Sasuke's soft curse.

With a shivery groan, Sasuke pulled out of Naruto's mouth, his hand fisting around his dick as he came, shooting ribbons across Naruto's collar bone and throat. Sasuke's eyes darkened as he saw his cum bead up and drip over the tan flesh.

Naruto swallowed as a rush of lust spiked through his body and coiled in his groin. There was something almost... animalistic in the way Sasuke had marked him. Naruto drew a breath, forcing his thoughts on something else before Sasuke could read any desire in his expression.

"I can return the favor, if you give me a minute," Sasuke said, his voice rough as he straightened his clothing.

"Nah, I'm good," Naruto said, standing and grabbing a cocktail napkin off the bar counter and cleaning himself off. "Spoiled rich guys don't really do it for me. If you want someone who will be more into it, you should ask Orochimaru for a pro. This isn't really my line of work."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He hadn't missed the flash of lust in the blue eyes before they had cleared. It annoyed him that Naruto had been able to suppress his reaction so quickly. At first Sasuke had thought all he really wanted from the blond was another quick release, assuming that it would assuage his lust for him. But now he realized he wanted much more than that. He wanted to see the man writhing and sweating beneath him. He wanted Naruto to _beg_ for him. It wasn't just the physical satisfaction anymore. Sasuke wanted to overcome the mental and emotional challenge that Naruto presented.

But he would bide his time. This stalker situation that Itachi and Orochimaru were so worried about was likely just some bored housewife who'd fallen in love with his picture on the TV. It wouldn't be the first time. It would probably take a week or two to track her down and set her straight. He'd have that time to get what he wanted from Naruto. It didn't have to be right this second.

Plus, he wasn't sure his knees would fully support him at this precise moment. His elbows were braced against the counter top, and he probably would have slid to the floor without them. His whole body was still shaking from the intensity of his orgasm. What was it about this boy? They hadn't even had sex yet.

At least Sasuke was able to control his voice. "What is your line of work, then?" He knew that Naruto had served as Nagato's bodyguard, but he didn't really know what that meant. Assassin? Lover? Simple security?

Naruto laughed. "Seriously? What kind of answer do you really expect me to give you? Your big brother works in the district attorney's office. My line of work is flower arrangement, asshole. That's why Orochimaru is having me serve as your security detail. Are you going to give me your schedule for the week, or is this whole thing just a front until your real date gets back in town or whatever?"

Sasuke slanted an annoyed look at him, but handed Naruto a sheet of paper that had been sitting on the counter. It had all the dates, times, and locations of places Sasuke needed to be for the upcoming week. At least, the locations that Sasuke thought additional security could be beneficial.

He was intrigued the way Naruto's expression shifted to all business. Naruto pulled a pen out of his pocket, and started to mark some notes. "Which of these are things you do regularly, who knows about them, and when were they scheduled?"

Sasuke answered for each event as Naruto made marks. Sasuke noticed that he wrote with Kanji, not in English.

"Where will you be before and after each of these, and what route do you typically take for each one?"

Sasuke again answered, then said, "You're just going to accompany me anyway. You don't need to find your own way."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Before each of these events, I'm going to map out the route and see what I would do if I either wanted to kill you or kidnap you along the way. Depending on what I find, we might alter the routes."

Sasuke looked at him for a moment. "You're taking some photos from a desperate housewife very seriously."

Naruto looked at him. "These are not shots from some housewife. If you look at the angles of these photos, most are taken from rooftops or possibly out the window of a building through a telephoto lens. That means they were planned in advance, after studying your pattern of movement. It also means that they could just as easily replace the camera with a rifle and take you out without you ever even seeing them. Each one had a clear head shot... a kill shot. This is a warning. Whoever did this knows what they're doing. Your brother and Orochimaru are right. You should take this seriously."

Sasuke frowned, letting the blond's words sink in. He doubted Itachi had recognized the type of photos the way Naruto did. Itachi was just over-protective in general, given their family history. Sasuke didn't blame him... he was the same when Itachi was in trouble. Orochimaru's concern... could be due to many things, if it wasn't Orochimaru himself behind the camera. But Naruto's words actually made sense, and made Sasuke take this slightly more seriously. As he thought back to the photos, he had to admit that they felt different from the ones he had received from past stalkers. They did seem… more professional.

"Alright. So aside from giving you my schedule, what else do you need from me tonight?"

"Well, I'd ask if you have any enemies, but that's clearly a stupid question. You are in politics, which means you have enemies all over the place. I'm assuming if any stood out in particular you would have had sense enough to tell the police."

Sasuke nodded. "Honestly, the person who I would consider the most likely threat is Orochimaru," he said, wanting to see the blond's reaction to his words.

To his surprise, Naruto snorted lightly then smiled. "Then maybe you're not as stupid about all this as I thought," he ignored the hard glance Sasuke shot him at the comment. "I've got your schedule now, and your... other needs have been taken care of. So I'm gonna head out. I'll see you in –" he glanced at the schedule "– two days. You're working from home tomorrow?"

Sasuke nodded tersely and finished his drink. Naruto pulled his clothes back on, and left.

. . .

Naruto stopped at the security desk in Sasuke's building on his way out, and asked if there had been anything suspicious. Jugo assured him that there hadn't, and Naruto asked if he could come by tomorrow and look through the video footage. Naruto had learned to recognize the tattoos of the various Yakuza and Tongs, the colors and hand signs of the major gangs, knew who most of the top Russian and Italian mafia hitmen were and could generally identify an undercover cop almost on sight. He might find something Jugo had missed. Jugo agreed, and Naruto said he'd be back tomorrow to have a look, then headed out.

It was quite late, but there was always traffic in New York. It was one of the many things he loved about the City. You could be completely anonymous, but you were never alone.

He felt a presence behind him and turned. He still had the pen in his hand along with the schedule, and he slipped the metal pen between his index and middle fingers as he made a fist in under a second. A blow to the throat with the pen held this way would now puncture the jugular or the trachea. Either would be sufficient.

Naruto froze instantly as he recognized the face of the person behind him. He lowered his arm, but didn't release the pen from its position.

Itachi noticed it, and smiled slightly. "Very clever. You have good instincts, Naruto-kun."

Itachi was wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt. Somehow seeing him materialize out of the shadows in regular street attire made Naruto reassess the nature of the man in front of him. He could see the lean muscles of his arms, the same unexpected strength he had observed in Sasuke's form. He also recognized the way Itachi's knees had bent slightly, his weight shifting to the balls of his feet when Naruto had spun to face him with his arm raised to attack.

"You've been trained," Naruto said.

Itachi shrugged. "Sasuke and I both follow some of our family traditions."

Naruto thought about that for a minute, waiting for Itachi to disclose more, but not surprised when he didn't. Naruto shrugged. He didn't discuss his training either.

"Did Sasuke give you his schedule?"

Naruto nodded, showing the paper to Itachi. A small breeze stirred the air, and in their close proximity, Itachi caught the smell of cum on Naruto, and narrowed his eyes. "What is your relationship with my brother?"

Naruto looked at him for a moment, then looked around. No one was close enough to hear their conversation, a fact he was sure Itachi had checked before broaching the subject with him. "Orochimaru has asked me to serve has Sasuke's security and address whatever other… demands… Sasuke might have."

Itachi studied him. "You don't like him."

Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke or Orochimaru?"

"I already know how you feel about Orochimaru. I was talking about Sasuke."

"I don't know him. But… no, I don't like people like him."

"What are 'people like him'?"

"Rich, spoiled, entitled, arrogant…" Naruto trailed off. "No offense. I know several of those apply to you as well, but you seem more human about it all."

Itachi just looked at him. After a moment he smiled slightly at Naruto's brutal honesty. He found it refreshing, though odd considering most people found him even more intimidating than Sasuke. 'More human' wasn't something he had ever heard applied to himself. Perhaps this directness was what his brother saw in the man. "Hm. But you will do what needs to be done in terms of Sasuke's protection."

Naruto looked insulted. "Of course. That's the part of this job I'm actually good at."

Itachi didn't miss the level of annoyance and… _embarrassment_ that Naruto apparently felt at the non-security portion of his assignment. He was glad to see, though, that there was not fear or shame. He would have had to intervene if there had been, regardless of how angry Sasuke would be.

"I want you to inform me of any developments. Sasuke will likely tell you not to. Orochimaru may or may not agree. But I want you to tell me anyway. Call me first, before even the police."

Naruto paused. "Why?"

"Because I will know what the right course of action is to protect my brother. The police will have their own agenda, as will Orochimaru."

"What makes you think I don't have my own agenda?" Naruto asked, honestly curious.

"I'm not sure," Itachi said. "But I don't think you do, at least not with respect to Sasuke. I have learned to trust my instincts about people, regardless of circumstance. And given my other choices, I've decided to place my bets on you."

Naruto nodded, feeling both flattered and puzzled that someone in the district attorney's office would place more faith in him than his own police force. But then again, Naruto knew of enough dirty cops on the force that he knew Itachi was right.

However, Naruto knew he came with his own risks. He had noticed at least one person following him to Sasuke's this evening. Probably someone sent by Orochimaru, making sure he went where he said he would go. But there were other possibilities. Ones that would pose significant danger to Itachi if they thought Naruto had a connection with him.

"I'm not a safe acquaintance to have, Itachi. Aside from anything serious happening with Sasuke, you should keep your distance from me."

Itachi looked at him levelly. "I know."

"Do you? I doubt that," Naruto pulled a flattened pack of cigarettes from his back pocket along with a lighter. Cupping his hands in front of his face, he pretended to struggle lighting the cigarette. "I was followed on my way here. Probably still being watched."

Naruto successfully lit the cigarette, but didn't smoke it. Itachi understood the warning that there could potentially be photos of the two of them together that could surface. He wasn't concerned, though. Naruto hadn't actually been convicted of anything. Just arrested a few times, though on pretty serious charges. There was a small possibility that their conversation was being listened to, though that would require high tech surveillance equipment given no one was in near enough proximity to overhear them.

Itachi nodded. "Just let me know if you find anything out about who sent the photos. You can call my cell." He motioned his fingers at the pen and paper that Naruto was holding. Naruto gave them to the older man, who wrote down his number.

Naruto realized that Itachi would likely be in daily contact with the police department. That could be convenient. He took the paper back and wrote down the address of Orochimaru's brownstone, then tore off the corner and handed it to Itachi. "The cops were ragging me that I didn't have my address updated with them in case they wanted to follow up on the Akatsuki case. Here it is. Orochimaru has me staying with him for now. Can you let them know so they get off my back?"

Naruto knew that Kakashi and Gaara would be worried by now when he had gone off to see Orochimaru and not returned home. But he didn't dare go back until whoever was watching him started to relax, and he could slip away. If Itachi gave the cops his updated address, Kakashi would see it and know where he was. And would tell Gaara to not level the city looking for him. They wouldn't know why he had not come back, but they were smart. If they knew Naruto wasn't dead, then they'd figure out other likely reasons for his staying away pretty easily.

Some of Naruto's nervousness must have shown on his face, because Itachi asked in a low voice. "Is he forcing you into this?"

Naruto took a drag on his cigarette. "I'm a big boy, Itachi. I made my choices."

It wasn't an answer, and they both knew it. But this wasn't the place for the discussion, when they knew they were being observed. "Is there anyone in particular I should give your address to?" Itachi said, taking a stab in the dark that maybe there was someone Naruto was trying to send a signal to. Maybe someone who would help him.

Naruto hesitated, almost giving in to the temptation to say Kakashi's name. It would ensure he got the information as soon as possible. Kakashi had been Naruto's arresting officer that first time. It could seem natural. But he was not involved with the Akatsuki case, at least not officially. And Itachi was too fucking smart to not sense something if Naruto gave a specific name that wasn't related to the current case. "Nah, just whoever keeps the books," Naruto said, trying to pass it off as a casual thing. "Anyway, I better get back. It's getting late."

"Yes, it is. Goodnight, Naruto-kun," Itachi said, both face and voice expressionless.

"'Night, Itachi-san," Naruto returned, then headed off to the subway station.

Itachi watched him walk away, sensing a shadow following the blond, but not seeing anyone.

Naruto had a friend in the police department. Itachi was sure of it. The question was who. And why. Given that Naruto was becoming involved with his little brother, Itachi decided he needed to find out.

-xXx-

Naruto sat across the glass partition from Hidan. He had finally received notification from Orochimaru that morning that he had gotten permission for Naruto to visit Hidan in Sing Sing, the maximum security prison where he had been placed. Naruto had gone to Grand Central and taken the next train on Metro North on the Hudson Line and arrived just as visiting hours were starting. He presented his ID and was searched and interviewed. Orochimaru had submitted the proper paperwork, however, and finally Naruto was allowed into a room that had a long counter divided into sections that looked almost like phone booths. He was directed to one of the booths, and sat down on the metal stool. Across the orange counter from him, behind a glass divider, sat Hidan. They grinned at each other for a second, then Hidan reached for the phone on his side of the glass, and Naruto did the same.

He felt relief seeing the man. They had worked together for three years, and he knew him better than most people. He had been warned that this first visit would be short, and was only being allowed as a special exception.

"Blondie. I kept telling them I wouldn't say a fucking thing unless they arranged conjugal visit with you, but it looks like this is the best we could get."

Naruto laughed. "Damn, I've missed you guys. How are you holding up?"

"Fuckin' sucks in prison. Food is shit. But the ass isn't bad," Hidan grinned. "It's good to see you're out. I don't get much news in here. Was wondering what happened to you after you went ape shit in the jail."

"Yeah. Not one of my better decisions, but it worked out. It's a little weird, though. This guy, Orochimaru, paid my bail, and hired an attorney for me," Naruto said, both men aware that their conversation was likely being monitored and possibly recorded.

"Let's do phone sex," Hidan said, which was the signal that he was going to use the code he'd developed. Hidan got a kick thinking about the police and lawyers typing down all his obscene words. He had been one of Nagato's top hit men, and he and Naruto had used the code whenever they spoke about 'business', especially if it was over the phone.

Naruto grinned, and started. "Alright. Take off all your clothes for me." _Tell me what you know about this._

Hidan laughed. "No foreplay today, blondie. I'm already naked and waiting for you. I'll wear something special next time." _I don't know anything about this yet, but I'll try to get some information for you next time._

"Ok, so I'm not wearing much either. But I'm totally hard for you." _I don't know much either, but I think there is something going on._

"Fuck yeah, bitch. How hard are you?" _How worried are you? How serious is this?_

"Pretty hard. But I'd get even harder if my ex-boyfriend were watching us." Hidan stilled at Naruto's words. There was only one person they referred to as Naruto's ex. And as far as Hidan knew, there was no connection between that man and Orochimaru. So what the hell was going on?

"Is he watching us? You know how hard it makes me when people watch us. Especially your ex. You know he'll fuck you raw if he catches you." _You know he'll kill you if he finds you._

"Maybe I'll fuck him raw instead, if I catch him watching. Who knows if he is or not," Naruto said. _I'll kill him first, but I'm not sure he knows where I am. I haven't seen him._

"And cheat on me? Nah, you're mine. I won't share you." _I'll protect you if I can._

_"_I know. I won't share you either."

Just then, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder. "Time's up," the guard said.

Naruto and Hidan exchanged a look. "Tell Dei," Naruto said. "They won't let me see him yet."

Hidan nodded. "I'll tell him next time I'm bending him over in the showers."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fucking perv."

Hidan cackled. "I just love my blonds."

. . . .

Later that day, Itachi played Shikamaru a recording of the conversation they had recorded between Hidan and Naruto. "What do you make of this?"

Shikamaru scanned through it. "It's code."

Itachi raised his eyebrows. "What are they saying?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know. It's a simple code, but not like the ones where you just replace the number one with the letter A. This code is just tying words and phrases to stand for something else that they both already know. I'd have to see more of it to figure it out."

"How do you know it's a code, then?"

"Did you hear Hidan's voice when Naruto mentioned his ex? That was fear. Hidan is a stone cold killer. He isn't going to be afraid of some kid mentioning an ex boyfriend in some fantasy sex scenario. My guess is the ex is code for a particular person that Naruto and Hidan both find dangerous. But I have no idea who. The rest of this is probably code as well, but I just don't know for what."

"We were going to stop allowing Naruto access to Hidan after this."

"If you do, we won't be able to break the code. Let them talk enough, and I can translate it, at least some of it."

Itachi nodded. He remembered what Naruto had told him last night outside his brother's apartment building. That someone had followed him. He wondered now if he should have taken the warning more seriously. He doubted that Hidan would be afraid of Orochimaru. In the criminal underworld, he wouldn't even register as a minor threat. It had to be someone else.

. . . .

Naruto spend the rest of the day walking around the City, checking potential routes for the places he needed to escort Sasuke to during the week. He had burned the paper before he'd gotten home, committing it to memory, and making sure that he didn't make the stalker's job easier by simply documenting all the information and having whoever it was steal it.

Naruto knew which buildings had good security, making it harder to get inside or on the roof. He also matched the location from where he estimated the photos had been taken from, figuring at minimum they should avoid places where the stalker had obviously already gotten access. His final stop was the parking garage under Sasuke's building. Naruto made a note of where the security cameras were located, then talked to the garage attendant about which car was Sasuke's and who had access to it.

He was shown a shiny, black Lotus. Naruto just stared at it for a second, taking in the sleek machine, along with all the electronics inside. Electronics that monitored every place you went, and relayed signals to some GPS satellite continuously telling anyone who wanted to listen where you were located. Naruto hated modern cars. Almost as much as he hated smart phones. They recorded every event in your life, every place you went and how long you stayed. Not what someone in his line of work liked.

"Damn, it looks brand new. Does the bastard even drive this thing?" Naruto looked, noting there was not a single smudge, a single spec of dust visible on the exterior or interior of the car.

The attendant laughed. "Actually, he drives it most days, but he has me detail it every night... interior and exterior. He's very particular. No dust, no fingerprints, no dirt."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "So he's not just a bastard, he's evidently OCD about his car as well." Naruto tried to ignore a brief fantasy of fucking Sasuke hard in his pretty car, smearing the entire interior with cum. He snickered, then thanked the attendant and headed back to Orochimaru's.

. . .

When he finally returned to Orochimaru's brownstone, he could hear heated voices coming from the man's library.

"You told me you would be added to the team prosecuting the Akatsuki. You told me you would get me access to all the proceedings. Why have you not been able to deliver on this?"

"Orochimaru-sama," Naruto cringed at the familiar voice. A man he _hated_ with a strange passion. It somehow didn't surprise him that Kabuto was connected to Orochimaru. They both had that same oily way about them. "Itachi has refused my help. I put in a special request, but it was denied. Unless Itachi says he needs additional assistance on this case, I cannot -"

"I don't want to hear it, Kabuto. You failed me once already by not following up on the arrest record of Naruto-kun and missing a key piece of information. If Anko had not been so thorough, we would have lost our leverage over the boy. You know how dangerous it is to become useless to me, Kabuto. I could ruin you."

"Please, Orochimaru-sama. Allow me to make amends," Kabuto's voice had dropped to a seductive tone. Naruto heard the sounds of clothes rustling, and felt bile rise in his throat. He sped up walking past the closed door of the library and headed to his room.

He flopped face first his bed, wishing he could talk to Kakashi. Kakashi would know what this meant, and what Naruto should do. But there was no way to contact Kakashi without raising suspicion. There were too many enemies, with too many hidden agendas. Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face as he got up, stripped off his clothes, and headed to the small shower that adjoined his room. This was not his strength. Nagato and Konan had always been the masterminds behind the Akastuki. Naruto was just a foot soldier. He needed someone he could trust to talk through all the pieces on the game board and figure out what the plays in motion were.

He wondered how he could contact Konan. When the police had foolishly swallowed the tale that she was simply Nagato's lover and let her go after a few days of interviewing her, she had vanished from the face of the earth. The only people Naruto had access to now that had a head for strategy were Orochimaru - and Naruto already knew he couldn't trust that guy as far as he could throw him. Of course, there potentially was Itachi. Or even Sasuke. But the Uchiha's weren't players in this kind of game. They didn't even skirt the grey areas the way Orochimaru did. Naruto would probably just find himself arrested if he disclosed anything to them.

He really needed to get in touch with Kakashi. He just needed to figure out how.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._


	6. Chapter 6 - Blindsided

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly rising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE **in this chapter. If you don't like fight scenes, skip the entire scene in that starts with Naruto noticing he is being followed, and look for the next "-xXx-" sign that signifies a scene major change (with Naruto waking up).

**Author's note** - This chapter is mostly Naruto's POV, but we will hear from Sasuke next. Thanks to everyone who has commented, especially my regular reviewers whose comments make me so motivated to keep writing even with work making me go in early and stay late.

-xXx-

One week. One whole week had gone by and Naruto had learned absolutely nothing about whoever had sent the photos to Sasuke. Lying in his bed in Orochimaru's brownstone, Naruto scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration.

He was beginning to wonder if the bastard had sent them to himself just to get Orochimaru to send Naruto over to him. Every day, Naruto escorted Sasuke when he needed to make a public appearance somewhere. Naruto scanned the crowds, the rooftops, the passing cars, opened every piece of mail (over Sasuke's seething protests) and looked through video footage of every security camera from every location that Sasuke frequented more than three times a month.

Nothing.

It was like someone had sent the photos, then given up. Which would be great, except that they needed to have some sort of confirmation about that before life could go back to normal for Sasuke and Naruto could stop 'protecting' him. And Naruto _really_ wanted this assignment to be over.

First, it was cutting into his time to try to make use of any of the contacts Orochimaru had given him access to. The more time passed under Orochimaru's thumb, the greater the risks of Naruto getting sold out. He wasn't a fool. He had now wasted an entire week, getting no further on his personal project, nor on his assignment with Sasuke. And Orochimaru had continued to have someone follow Naruto, so he hadn't been able to contact Kakashi. His only consolation had been that Kakashi had walked right past him one block from Orochimaru's house when Naruto was on his way home from Sasuke's one evening. Neither had made eye contact or acknowledged the other in any way, but he knew that Kakashi wanted him to know that he had gotten the information on Naruto's new address that Itachi had given the department. They couldn't talk, but even that tiny contact had calmed Naruto somewhat. It meant that Gaara would also know he was ok.

His second issue with his 'Sasuke babysitting assignment' was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain detached about the whole thing with Sasuke, and that was _not_ something Naruto wanted to pursue.

He tried to write it all up to the fact that - whatever his personality - Sasuke was physically about as perfect as a human could get. So of course spending time around him was starting to take its toll. Plus, the level of intimacy of their interactions made maintaining distance extremely difficult. Naruto wasn't a sex-trade worker. So for him to be so intimately familiar with someone and have no feelings for them at all was unnatural. He knew the intimate scent of Sasuke, the sounds he made when aroused, what his face looked like at the moment of orgasm. He knew where the man's sensitive spots were, and that Sasuke liked a little pain with his pleasure. All the little details a lover would know. But with no love.

So of course his brain was trying to invent things. Pretending that the way that Sasuke looked at him when they were out at a public event conveyed some message of need. That the way he had started to say Naruto's name when he came was a sign that he wanted Naruto specifically, not just the sexual release he was offered. And then there were the rides up to the penthouse in the elevator. The last time, Sasuke had stood directly behind Naruto, letting Naruto feel the heat and hardness of his body the entire ride up to the 40th floor. Naruto had been almost shaking by the time they arrived. Sasuke had grabbed him by his waist, spinning him around and leaning in to bring their mouths together, and for a second, Naruto had almost let it happen.

Almost.

But instead he had ducked his head and placed a small bite on the sensitive spot on Sasuke's neck (careful not to leave a mark... he wasn't foolish enough to leave any marks of ownership on Sasuke), then slid down to relieve the obvious tension between Sasuke's thighs. Naruto didn't miss the flash of disappointment in the onyx eyes that watched him, clearly wanting more than what Naruto had been willing to give so far. But Sasuke hadn't forced it. He'd accepted the unspoken ground rules of no full sex and no kissing. So far. The invitation was there in those black eyes, though. And it was starting to become harder to ignore.

And that was a major problem because it could distract Naruto from actually being able to focus on looking for whoever was potentially trying to hurt Sasuke. Naruto couldn't afford to let his eyes drift to the man who looked both powerful yet elegant in his expensively tailored suits. He needed to stay focused the other people in the room, looking for unnatural interest or potential danger. Or even just a constant face that shouldn't be there.

Not to mention the fact that there was no possibility of any sort of relationship between a man in Sasuke's position and someone like Naruto. For so many reasons that Naruto didn't even bother to lay them out. It was impossible, and there was no point even considering it.

So he kept his eyes away from Sasuke, and focused where they needed to be. But it didn't keep him from hearing Sasuke, from learning about the man and what he did. And that was, in a way, more dangerous to him than the man's physical beauty. Because it was slowly eroding many of the beliefs that Naruto had about Sasuke. Beliefs that had made it easy in the beginning to ignore him.

The first assumption to fall was that Sasuke had bought his way to success, from his seat on the city council, to the fancy degrees that were displayed in simple black frames in his office. Harvard Law School. Princeton undergrad. Top honors everywhere.

But listening to Sasuke speak in these meetings and debates, he realized that Sasuke would never have needed to buy anything. The man had a fierce, ruthless intellect, leaving much more seasoned opponents gasping in its wake despite the fact that Sasuke was often the youngest in the room by at least a decade. Naruto's favorite moment had been the time when a man who had been flaunting his tenure and experience and trying to belittle everyone else had tried to intimidate Sasuke into changing his position when they had clashed. Naruto had glanced over at Sasuke and the older man, wondering if the animosity between them was enough that Naruto should examine the older man more closely.

And there had been a look that had flashed across Sasuke's face, one of intense predatory anticipation like a tiger playing with a rabbit. Then Sasuke proceeded to verbally grind the man to dust, methodically picking apart every element of the man's argument and leaving him flushed with humiliation at being taken apart in front of his peers.

That look... had been hot as hell. Naruto had been glad Sasuke's attention had been focused on the older man in front of him, and Naruto had been careful not to look at Sasuke the rest of the meeting. But when Naruto had undone the fastenings of Sasuke's trousers later that evening, the image had flashed across his mind and he had had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from ripping Sasuke's shirt off and seeing if he could get that expression to come again. But he had stuck to the rules he had set for himself. In the end, Naruto had found himself sweaty, frustrated and hard when he had brought Sasuke to release. Awareness had flashed through the velvety black eyes as Sasuke realized Naruto's reaction. Awareness and an invitation.

But Naruto had walked away, determined to not take it further beyond the boundaries he had already set out in his mind.

Yeah, he really needed this stupid fucking job to end.

-xXx-

Two days later, Naruto was walking from Sasuke's apartment building on his way back to Orochimaru's. It was still early enough in the evening that the summer sun hadn't set, and the heat baking off the concrete was still full. He felt a prickle along the back of his neck, one he had learned not to ignore. He slowed down, pretending to remove a stone from his shoe. As he bent down, he quickly scanned the faces around him that were reflected in the window of the coffee shop he had paused by. No one he recognized; seven of them had glanced at him. He walked another block in the direction of the nearest subway station. He knew all the men Orochimaru sent to watch him. This wasn't one of them. So whoever this was, he was new. He could lose him in the tunnel if he had to, but first he wanted to know who it was.

He paused again at a bus stop, pretending to read one of the advertisements posted on it. He stretched up, seeming to look around casually. Only one of the seven faces was still around him. In the rapid pace of life in New York, the only reason someone would still be there given Naruto's multiple pauses would be if he were following him. The man turned to look the other way as soon as he noticed Naruto's glance.

That was a fatal mistake.

Naruto noticed the tattoo of a bull in black/green ink on the man's neck. He recognized the art work immediately: a Russian mafia tattoo. The mark of a hit man. There was a second tattoo of an orthodox cross on the man's forearm, meaning he was relatively high in rank. Naruto's body froze and panic snaked along his spine. He had no connections to any of the Russian organizations, and as far as he knew neither did Orochimaru. But there was one person who did.

_Gaara._

His body was in motion before he even had a plan. The organization Gaara belonged to had been having conflicts with a Russian syndicate, and rumors had been swirling before Nagato's organization had been taken down that a major turf war between Gaara's boss and one of the Russian crime lords was in the works. If that were going down, Gaara would be high on their list of people to take out.

But Naruto should have been completely unknown to them. The only reason they could be keeping an eye on him today was if they had been watching Gaara for some time. Naruto hadn't been home in more than week, but this person following him was new. Which meant either Orochimaru was somehow involved and had given them his location for some reason that likely had nothing to do with Gaara, or the Russians had been searching the City to find him to make sure he didn't interfere with whatever they had planned when they went to deal with his friend. He wasn't going to take any chances on the second option.

Naruto turned abruptly and began walking quickly to the subway station. There were three stations he had mapped out where the entryway to 'dead' tunnels or stations that were no longer in use was within running distance from the platform. His pursuer likely knew he had been made, so Naruto had to assume the man would act as soon as he had an opportunity. Likely not with a gun, given the full streets. The platform was crowded with the evening rush hour. But that was fine. Naruto didn't need speed at this point. He only needed to keep out of arms reach of the much older hit man. Naruto dug a $20 bill out of his pocket and tossed it on the seat of a shoe-shine station and grabbed a tin of black shoe polish without breaking stride, ignoring the surprised shout from the shoe-shine guy. The twenty should more than cover the cost.

Naruto's two most identifying features were his hair and his eyes. He wished he had brought some sun glasses, but he just squinted his eyes as much as possible to conceal their color, and kept his head down. The trains ran frequently during rush hour, and one was just letting out passengers when Naruto slid his metro pass and went through the turnstile. He squeezed between people, opening the can of shoe polish as he walked and digging out a clump of the black, thick polish and smearing it through his hair. No one even glanced at him as he shouldered his way through the crowds, boarding the train and continuing to walk to the interior door that would lead him to the next car. He had to make it two stops. Which meant he had to keep moving or he'd end up likely with a knife between his ribs.

By the time he reached the next car, his hair was black. He thumbed some over each eyebrow for good measure, then slid the tin in his back pocket and kept walking to the next car, wiping his black-smeared hand off on his jeans. They had just pulled into the second stop, and Naruto exited with the other passengers in a crush of bodies. He made his way to the far edge of the platform and crouched down as casually as possible, his eyes slitted but alert as he scanned the crowd for his prey.

The older man with the tattoos got off the subway, and Naruto could see him scan the crowds, searching. He crouched down further, out of the man's line of sight. The train had emptied out and the remaining passengers were now boarding. Soon the platform would be clear.

A lesser opponent would have simply followed the sweep of the bodies out of the station and searched in the street, but the man obviously had good instincts and soon Naruto saw the pale eyes lock on his. The train was leaving the station, and as soon as the last car passed Naruto jumped down onto the tracks. Naruto heard one or two shouts. He turned his head just in time to see his pursuer reaching behind under his jacket.

_Shit. Gun._

Naruto took off at a dead sprint down the tracks, careful to avoid the electrified rails. He had one minute to reach the abandoned platform. It was boarded up from the street entrance, so the only people who frequented it were homeless or criminals. There would be no witnesses at this time of day, and no one who would call the police. He heard a bullet ricochet off the cement wall just to the right of him, but not the shot itself.

_Silencer._

No surprise. The guy was a pro, and now that they were away from witnesses he didn't need to hold back. Naruto rounded the corner, and easily jumped the five feet up onto the old platform, rolling away and staying low so the man couldn't get another shot off. He lay flat, breathing hard and waiting for the man to appear. Naruto pulled his knife out of his pocket. He'd take him out here, then go back to his apartment to see if Gaara was the actual target, or if it was only Naruto to begin with.

The man jumped up, trying to pull himself up onto the platform, but he was likely in his late forties and his agility had suffered. He slid back down, but he had seen Naruto laying on the ground. Rather than trying to jump up again, he simply stood on the tracks and started firing shots over the edge of the platform as Naruto rolled then ducked around a corner. They both heard the sound of the oncoming train at the same time.

Naruto waited to see if the man would be able to pull himself up or not. He hoped he made it. Subway deaths always drew so much media attention. That was the last thing he wanted. There was only a two inch clearance between the train and the platform. If the man didn't make it up... well, Naruto wouldn't have to worry about being followed.

The sound of the approaching train grew louder. Naruto could hear the frantic scrambling of the man trying to pull himself up. Naruto heard the screech of the train going past. He poked his head around the corner to see if the man had made it or not.

He hadn't.

Naruto didn't bother looking down on the tracks to see the body.

Instead, he turned and kicked out three of the boards that covered the entrance to the old station. Luckily, there was no one paying particular attention to him as he exited, and he turned his way toward 99th street, running.

. . . . .

Gaara was chopping lettuce for his salad, the long knife making quick work of the stalks. Due to the heat, he was shirtless, wearing grey sweatpants, his feet bare, the swirled tattoo around his navel identical to his roommate's.

He stilled as he heard unfamiliar footfalls stop outside the door to his apartment. He had only been paying half attention, but he counted at least four distinct sets. Possibly five. His grip shifted on the knife, the muscles in his forearm taut. He grabbed a second knife from the cutting block and crouched behind the counter, his body poised and absolutely motionless.

If these were some simple thugs looking to do some easy breaking and entering, they had picked the wrong apartment.

He glanced at Naruto's bed pallet, where the one gun they kept accessible in the apartment was hidden. Not enough time to get it. The others were under the floorboard with a series of false passports, cash, and drivers licenses. They wouldn't help him now.

Gaara didn't even flinch as door was kicked in. Two men with masks entered first, both holding guns with silencers. Not simple thugs, then. As they took an instant to scan the apartment looking for their target, Gaara threw the knives in a single fluid motion before rolling back behind the counter. The three men who had stood behind them in the hallway didn't have a chance to respond before he heard two bodies hit the ground, and knew that his knives had found their marks in the throats of the first two attackers.

But the three men Gaara had seen waiting in the doorway now knew where he was, and likely that he was currently unarmed. Unless they were incredibly inept, he would be in serious trouble.

He heard them enter the apartment at the same time he heard the sound of a new set of running feet in the hallway. Gaara's head snapped up. The tread sounded heavier than usual, but he knew who was coming.

And he grinned.

The door crashed open again just as Gaara launched himself at his nearest opponent.

Naruto burst through the door and threw the dead body of the man he had been carrying onto the assailant closest to him, knocking him down, then instantly swung around to face the third attacker.

While both Naruto and Gaara had studied as many martial arts forms as they could given their line of work, they knew when you were up against multiple opponents with guns you had to skip the audition for the Bruce Lee movie and go for fast and brutal. Together they had crafted their own form of fighting drawing heavily on Krav Maga* and other commando styles designed to kill an opponent in two moves or less, ideally when those two moves happened at the same time.

The man rushed Naruto. The blond let him get in close, lightly blocking the man's arm to keep him coming closer, ignoring the knife that slid along his arm up to his shoulder. He grabbed the man by the chin violently arcing his head backwards smashing it toward the ground and breaking his neck using the man's own momentum. He turned in time to see Gaara spin, snapping the elbow of one of the men who had managed to grab one of the fallen guns, then kicking him directly in the throat with the toe of his foot, crushing his windpipe and rupturing his carotid artery. Gaara twisted the gun from the man's now limp hand and in one fluid motion fired a shot into the head of the man Naruto had knocked down. He had still been trying to get out from under the body of the guard Naruto had killed in the hallway.

It was over in under a minute.

Naruto was standing with his back to the fire escape, grinning at Gaara. They rarely got to fight for real together. But when they did... it was awesome.

"How did you know - " Gaara began. Naruto watched Gaara's smirk vanish to an expression of fear, then everything went black.

-xXx-

Naruto woke up to an intense wave of nausea. He felt something warm beneath his head. Soft, wet and sticky. He knew that if he opened his eyes he'd throw up from the pain in his head, so he took a minute to try to focus on remembering what had happened to him. He slowly remembered being followed, the subway, the fight in their apartment. He thought they had finished it. But then, how did he end up on the ground with a throbbing head?

He breathed in slowly through his nose, the cloying metallic smell of blood giving him a hint of what all the stickiness was.

"Are you done playing dead?" A low voice drifted down to him, immediately settling a feeling of panic he hadn't even realized had begun to brew.

"Gaara," a wave of relief washed through Naruto. Gaara was ok. That was all that mattered. "Don't kill me if I puke on you, 'kay?"

He heard a soft snort. "Well, given that you already bled all over my pants, I don't think it matters much at this point."

Naruto slowly opened one eye, then hissed as the light in the room seemed to stab directly into his brain. But it was enough. He could see that he was laying on the floor, his head resting in Gaara's lap.

His throat worked convulsively as another wave of nausea washed over him. He had a concussion, that was pretty clear. It wasn't his first, so he was familiar with the symptoms. Intense sensitivity to light. Pounding nausea. Dizziness. Fucking head pain.

"What hit me?"

"Bullet," Gaara said flatly. "Grazed your head."

"Who?"

"The lookout. You got the one out front, but evidently they had another in the back. Came to see where the rest of the gang went."

"You got him?"

"Hmpf. Of course," Gaara looked down at his friend. The relief that flooded through him when Naruto first started speaking made him glad he was already sitting down. Gaara's hands were shaking. He had still had the gun in his hand that he had taken from the last assassin, so it had been a simple matter to shoot the figure that had appeared on their fire escape. But the dread of seeing Naruto hit the ground with blood pouring from his head... Gaara closed his eyes, feeling them burn. Slowly he put his pale fingers into Naruto's hair, avoiding the places that were clotted with blood. Head wounds always bled like a bitch.

Naruto sighed, feeling the soft stroking. "If I'd known all I had to do for you to let me in your lap was get shot in the head I would have done it along time ago."

Gaara snorted softly. They both knew that Naruto was only half joking. They loved each other. But Gaara had been damaged beyond the point of repair in terms of physical interaction. Naruto knew it would only ever be a brotherly bond that they could have, but he treasured it. Even if he had wished at various points in time that it could have been more. This was enough.

"You can't die, Naruto," Gaara said, his voice low and raspy. "Especially not for me."

"I'm ok. Just a concussion," Naruto breathed, relaxing further into the touch. He didn't bother addressing Gaara's last statement. He would die for Gaara in a heartbeat. And Gaara would die for him. It was understood. They were all each other had. "Did you call Sakura or Kakashi?"

"No."

Naruto would have nodded if his head didn't hurt so much. He was relieved. They still had to clean up the mess. Kakashi couldn't get dragged into a crime scene with seven dead bodies. Even if it were a hit squad, there's no way that someone with Naruto and Gaara's history wouldn't go to jail. And he didn't want Sakura to become a target. He'd have to stay clear of her until they knew who was after them and took care of it.

"Did you know them?" Naruto asked, gritting his teeth through the pain. This wasn't the time to be napping.

"No, but they're Russian. Could be business. I have to get to the compound and see if it's an all out take-over attempt, or if it was just me. How did you know?"

"One of them was following me home from Sasuke's. Saw the tats. Worried about you," Naruto whispered, trying to find a bearable method of talking.

Gaara frowned. The people Naruto worked for didn't know about Gaara. The people Gaara worked for weren't supposed to know about Naruto. Gaara was careful, and would have known if he had messed up. That meant that someone had informed the Russians. Some third party. Unknown players were dangerous.

He would worry about that later, though. For now, they needed to dispose of the bodies, avoid detection, and keep Kakashi out of it.

Eventually, someone would come to check to see what had happened to the team that had been sent. Gaara and Naruto needed to be out of here before then. They had at most six hours. Probably less. It was possible that someone was watching the place even now.

"How long was I out?" Naruto said, feeling the nausea spike as he spoke, but knowing they needed to get a move on things.

"About thirty minutes," Gaara said, trying not to recall the agonizing way that those thirty minutes had seemed to stretch for days as he waited to see if his only friend would wake up.

"We need disposal supplies. Construction trash bags, bleach, gloves, and duct tape," Naruto whispered the list they both knew by heart. If someone had called the cops, they'd have heard by now. Despite the extreme violence of the fight, it had been relatively silent and over quickly. None of the neighbors had decided to call the cops. That was one less thing to worry about.

"I'll go. You probably can't walk yet." Gaara's voice was brusque, but he gently picked Naruto up and laid him down on his pallet. Naruto smiled at the smaller man, still amazed at his disproportionate strength despite all the times he had witnessed it.

"Rest," Gaara said, keeping the worry from his voice as he handed Naruto the shoebox he had placed the three guns that the hit men had brought with them. "But don't sleep. You might not wake back up if you do."

Naruto understood the warning to be both about sleeping with a relatively severe concussion, but also the very real chance that more 'visitors' could arrive, and Naruto needed to stay alert. Their eyes met in brief agreement, then Gaara was gone.

Naruto slowly drew a deep breath, willing his body to recover. He could hear the sounds of music floating up from the window over the fire escape. There was a block party going on somewhere below. Naruto closed his eyes and let the muted Latin rhythms wash over him. He thought about the curvy girl with the molten chocolate eyes that called him 'papi' when she held him. Another set of darker eyes flashed across his consciousness, and he tried to push them away.

He still felt the room spinning, and knew it would be a bit before he could walk. He just hoped he recovered fast enough to be able to help carrying the makeshift body bags down to the trash room. One of them would have to be waiting down to collect them while the other put the bodies in the chute on their floor. And if one of the bodies got stuck... Naruto didn't want to think about it. They needed to make this crime scene completely disappear.

But a nice wide trash chute had been one of the main criteria for a place to live. That, and proximity to the subway. Hopefully things would go ok.

Gaara came back within twenty minutes, carrying two shopping bags full of supplies. He was glad to see the body count unchanged from the last time he had been here.

"I'll prep the bodies," Naruto said, slowly sitting up. "We still have a couple of hours before rigor sets in, but I don't know if we have that long before reinforcements arrive. You go get the truck."

Gaara hesitated. There were several reasons he didn't like this plan. He didn't think Naruto was physically up moving and packaging the bodies, for starters. He also knew that the staying stationary in this apartment was much higher risk then jacking a garbage truck was. Naruto just looked at him. "You can drive. I can't. We don't have time to wait for my headache to go away."

Gaara walked slowly over to him, and squatted down. "If I come back and find you dead, I am going to resurrect you just so I can rip you to pieces."

"I love you too. Now go steal a garbage truck."

Gaara snickered despite himself.

As soon as Gaara left, Naruto forced himself to get up and slowly begin prepping the bodies. To get them into the bags, he had to bend their knees, then fold their chests down to their knees, into a fetal position. He used the duct tape to secure them in that position, reducing the chance of the bodies shifting and getting stuck in the chute. He knew it would require roughly four garbage bags per body to prevent the bags from tearing under the weight, so he quadrupled up the bags and set to work. The garbage bags were then secured with duct tape, both for reinforcement and to keep them closed. Gaara showed up just as Naruto was finishing wiping up the obvious pools of blood, throwing all the rags into another trash bag. The apartment would now pass a cursory glance if the police showed up later tonight. As long as the bodies were gone.

"Ready?"

Naruto nodded. "We'll bleach the floors and walls after we get rid of the bodies. I mopped up the majority of it, but haven't had time to get rid of trace yet."

Gaara nodded. "I've got the truck in position. Just toss them down the chute, and I'll load them in and drive them to the municipal waste incinerator."

No one would question a garbage truck with a permit dumping trash. Trucks ran late in the evenings and early mornings to avoid causing traffic problems.

And garbage incinerators ran at temperatures that left no remains.

They both removed their blood-stained clothing stuffing it into an extra garbage bag, then they took turns showering off the blood. Naruto washed his hair as best he could, getting most of the shoe polish out, but avoided the part where Gaara had tied some cotton gauze over the wound in his head.

Gaara threw him a black bandana. "Cover your head with this. It will hide the bandages and blood won't show through."

-xXx-

Eight hours later, Naruto walked into Orochimaru's house and was greeted by the man himself. Gaara had driven the garbage truck to the nearest incinerator while Naruto had cleaned the apartment and removed all their documents and weapons from the hiding space under the floorboards, packing them into two ratty-looking backpacks. Naruto had waited in a church that was on the other side of town. Gaara had met him there when the truck had been 'returned' and Naruto had handed him one of the packs. They had parted ways agreeing to meet up at the same location in three days when hopefully one of them would have learned what the hell had just happened.

Naruto's first task was to find out if his current employer had tried to kill him.

"Where were you last night?" Orochimaru asked coldly. It was almost seven in the morning.

Naruto studied his face intently. Orochimaru really didn't appear to know what had just happened. Naruto didn't know whether to be relieved or more concerned. Orochimaru wasn't the one who had put out the hit. But that meant someone unknown had. "I went out. Got a little action." Not the kind that Orochimaru would assume, but it was truth enough.

"I thought we agreed that you'd live here."

"And I do. But there are some... forms of companionship that I want to seek elsewhere. I'm assuming that's not a problem? I'm keeping my times with Uchiha. This doesn't effect you."

Orochimaru examined Naruto closely. "You look like you haven't slept all night."

Naruto wondered if the man could smell the bleach on him, and if he would connect that with the likely reasons for it. Or if he would say anything about the bandana covering his head. "It was a wild party. I ended up getting sick, and had to stay and help clean up."

"I thought you didn't drink," Orochimaru said, narrowing his eyes.

"Who said I was drinking?" Naruto countered, knowing that his eyes were bloodshot enough to pass for almost any kind of drug.

Orochimaru just looked at him silently. "Don't let it interfere with your work. I'd better not hear a complaint from Sasuke-kun on your... performance."

Naruto nodded once, ignoring the wave of nausea that rolled through him at the motion.

"Go wash up and change. Get a little sleep, but remember you're supposed to be at his home in a few hours."

Without a word, Naruto turned and went to his room to change. He was lucky that Orochimaru didn't know him well enough to know how ridiculous the notion of Naruto partying himself sick was. Nagato and Konan would have seen through it in a second. Somehow knowing that Orochimaru was not a good judge of character made Naruto feel better, slightly more in control of the situation. The man had obvious weaknesses. Naruto could handle him.

Of course, he still didn't know who had connected him with Gaara. And that bothered him. You can't fight an enemy you can't see.

He lay down on the bed. His head was still pounding sickly, but he knew he needed to stay awake, then go to Sasuke's home. It was _possible_ that this had been architected to distract him from Sasuke. While it seemed like Gaara had been the primary target, Naruto was taking no chances until he knew for sure. They had picked him up coming out of Sasuke's apartment after all.

He decided to head to Sasuke's early. Given that Itachi had basically forbidden Sasuke to leave his home without Naruto with him, Naruto was pretty sure he'd find the man home. Hopefully in one piece.

. . . .

Sasuke looked up as the elevator chimed.

"Why are you early?" His eyes widened as Naruto stepped out and he took in his appearance. The blond looked like hell. His normally tan complexion was pale and waxy, his movements stiff and awkward. "What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, his eyes scanning the empty elevator to see if Naruto had been attacked.

"Rough night," Naruto said, his half-hearted grin not reaching his eyes.

Sasuke studied him for a moment. Something was very wrong. Naruto was wearing a white button down shirt and khakis, with a black bandana tied around his head covering his hair completely.

"Take off the bandana. You look ridiculous," Sasuke said flatly.

"I'm having a bad hair day. Bandana stays," Naruto said, his voice soft and his eyes scanning the apartment as if expecting an attack. "Has anyone called you? Come by? Anything unusual at all?"

"No. And you can't accompany me to my lunch meeting with a do-rag on. Take it off."

Naruto hesitated. The walk in the bright sunlight had caused him to throw up in the gutter twice on the way over. He really doubted he'd be able to make it through a lunch meeting without vomiting or passing out. Eventually Sasuke was going to figure things out, so Naruto decided there was no point in prolonging it. He pulled off the bandana, revealing the bloody cotton gauze that the bandana was holding in place.

"Holy shit! What happened to you?" Sasuke strode over, grabbing Naruto by the shoulders and looking at bandage on his head. Naruto winced when Sasuke had grabbed over the shallow cut where the knife had reached him.

He instantly dropped his hands. "Sit," he snapped, glaring at the blond as if daring him to disobey.

Naruto looked at him for a moment, then slowly walked over to the sofa and sat down. The room was spinning a bit, and he didn't want to make it obvious that he needed to. So he glared back at Sasuke.

"Take off your clothes," Sasuke said flatly.

Naruto would have rolled his eyes if he thought he could without puking. "Sorry, honey, but I'm not quite up to a romp on the couch just now. I'll have to give you a rain check."

"Don't be an idiot. You are injured, and I can either call 911 right now and have someone check you out at the hospital, or you can take off your clothes and I can see what the fuck is going on."

Sasuke didn't miss the way Naruto had paled further at the use of the word 'hospital', and he remembered that Naruto had not even admitted to being shot to avoid going there when he was in jail. He mentally filed that away for later.

Naruto glared, but started undoing the buttons of his shirt. Sasuke stood there for a minute with his arms crossed. After a several seconds, he came and gently lifted the bloody gauze away from the wound on Naruto's head. Naruto hissed as the gauze stuck and pulled. Sasuke looked in shock at the wound. He had seen enough of the evidence photos from crime scenes his brother had been examining for his cases that he knew what he was looking at.

"This is a graze from a bullet," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto just looked at him.

"You were shot in the fucking _head._"

Blue eyes just looked steadily back.

"Well, I certainly have to acknowledge your commitment to your job. Normally, when someone is _shot in the head_ they'd consider that a valid excuse for calling in sick."

"Yeah, well... I had to avoid sleeping for the first twelve hours. And I figured I'd check in on you to see if anything exciting had happened here since we last chatted."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, then batted Naruto's hands away from the buttons that he had been clumsily working on. "Idiot," Sasuke hissed under his breath as he peeled the shirt off to reveal several purpling bruises and one long cut.

Sasuke pulled out his phone and dialed. Naruto panicked but realized that Sasuke was punching in more digits than just '911'. "This is Uchiha. Please cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. Yes, tell the Chairman I will reschedule, but I have had a health issue arise that has made me unable to attend." He flipped his phone closed.

"You need a doctor," Sasuke said, already knowing what the response would be.

"No. I've had concussions before. I'll be fine in a day or two. The bleeding had stopped till you ripped the gauze off. It will be fine."

Naruto felt the room spinning again. He had overdone it on the way here. He was going to pass out. And Sasuke was definitely going to call an ambulance. Then he'd end up in the hospital, where they'd call the police to report a gunshot wound.

_Fuck_ was his last coherent thought before everything went black.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

next chapter will be mostly Sasuke, and what he thinks about all this, and how he feels about Naruto at this point. Do you think Sasuke will send him to the hospital?

*Krav Maga is a form of self defense developed by Israeli special forces, but used much more widely now. Not pretty, but very lethal.


	7. Chapter 7 - Trust

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly rising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **sex, violence, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Author's note** - Haha, yes, most of you guessed right and had some faith in Sasuke. I really enjoyed all the comments and reviews... it is so fun to read and PM back and forth with many of you on this. Especially since right now I am annoyed at most of the people I work with (since they are dumping extra stuff on my desk and making me work late) I am especially grateful to you guys. Sorry this chapter is sooooo long. But I didn't want to cut the last scene in half. Actually, I had already written the next part, but then the chapter was just humongous, so I will leave that for next time.

-xXx-

Sasuke looked at the man passed out on his sofa. Panicking would not be helpful. He placed his fingers at the side of Naruto's throat and immediately found a strong, steady pulse. He could see the blond's chest rise and fall with each breath. Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding.

The logical thing to do at this point would be to call the police or an ambulance. Probably both. That was clearly a gunshot wound in Naruto's scalp. Just a graze, but enough to leave a hell of a headache. And potentially more serious damage. It would be a pretty big scandal if the boy died on Sasuke's sofa while he just stood there and watched.

But he hadn't missed the flash of panic in Naruto's eyes at the word 'hospital'. And somehow... he knew he wasn't going to call the police. He thought about calling Itachi, but if things really went to hell Sasuke knew his phone records would be examined and the last thing he wanted was to drag his brother into his own stupidity. Because if there was one thing that was becoming increasingly clear to Sasuke, it was that he was not logical when it came to anything that had to do with Naruto. Not from the first second he had laid eyes on him.

Added to all that, it was entirely possible that the whole reason Naruto was injured was because he had gotten involved protecting Sasuke. Sasuke had wanted to have access to Naruto and had agreed to let Orochimaru 'loan' Naruto to him to deal with the potential threat. At the time, Sasuke had assumed the threat was just a nuisance, nothing serious. So he hadn't really thought much about Naruto actually being at risk because of his whim. But if he was wrong, and the blond had gotten seriously injured because of it... the thought left an unsettled feeling in Sasuke's stomach. He considered the head wound, and remembered Naruto telling him that the photos looked like 'kill shots' from a professional, because each gave a clear path for a shot to the head. Just like Naruto's wound.

The latent guilt was enough that, instead of calling 911, he called down to Jugo and asked the man to have someone from the concierge desk fetch him several packs of medical gauze, antiseptic wash, salve, and some large bandages. He then googled 'how to treat head wounds'. Sasuke went to the kitchen and grabbed several washcloths and a bowl of clean water to cleanse the wound.

Losing consciousness and vomiting were 'red flags' that it was time to call a doctor. He decided that if Naruto didn't wake up within an hour, he'd call his own physician and see if he could bribe the man into making a house call. It was a risk, though, because a doctor could lose their license if they failed to report a gunshot wound to the authorities. Sasuke wasn't sure he knew his physician well enough to take that bet.

Sasuke brought the water and washcloth over, sitting down on the coffee table in front of the sofa where Naruto was laid out. For a moment, he simply looked at the shirtless blond laying motionless there. He had never had the opportunity to study Naruto up close without being observed in return. Sasuke set the supplies down and raised his fingers to Naruto's cheek, tracing over the thin scars there. The skin was smooth under the pads of his fingertips, with only a very subtle change in texture at the markings. In regular indoor lighting, the scars were almost invisible.

Sasuke's eyes drifted down across the lithe, muscled arms and chest, then over the tattoo swirled around Naruto's navel. He frowned when he noticed a second set of thin scars that the tattoo concealed. They looked old and well-healed. But there was no mistaking that Naruto had been stabbed in the stomach repeatedly at some point in his life.

He let his fingers slide down the tan throat, over the dips and contours of the collar bone. He ran his fingers along each rib concealed beneath the hard muscles of the smooth chest, hoping he would be able to tell if one was broken. The skin was soft and warm to his touch... the ribs feeling intact. He allowed his hands to explore the texture of the skin around Naruto's navel perhaps a bit more than absolutely necessary, finding the scars there similar to those on the boy's cheeks. Faintly visible, and detectable by touch only with a focused attention. And Sasuke's attention was nothing if not focused.

The heat of the Naruto's skin made Sasuke wonder briefly if the boy had a fever, but then he remembered the intense heat of Naruto's mouth and was reminded from experience that the boy's body temperature tended to run hot. The vivid memory of that wet heat wrapped around his cock caused Sasuke to shift, alleviating only slightly the growing pressure in his groin. How many times in how many ways had that wicked mouth made him nearly scream in pleasure?

Deciding that thoughts like that would only lead to a painful state of arousal which Sasuke knew Naruto would be in no condition to alleviate, he tried to school his thoughts back to checking for injuries. He slid one arm under the blond and lifted him forward, checking his back.

The position was distractingly intimate, with Naruto's naked torso supported in his arms, and Sasuke had to force himself to ignore the heat and scent of the man. The only injury he could see on Naruto's back was the mark from the gunshot wound from the first time he had seen him. It already looked fully healed, and likely would fade into only a small, faint scar. He gently laid the boy back down on his back.

Satisfied that at least Naruto's upper body injuries had been fully identified, Sasuke efficiently set to cleaning the blood from the gouge in Naruto's scalp, not needing to go carefully since his patient was unconscious and thus unaware of any pain he might cause. As he washed the blood away, he noticed that the hair closest to the wound was coated with some sort of black coloring. He took a lock of black/blond hair between his forefinger and thumb, and rubbed it. An oily, black substance came off on his hands. Sasuke smelled it, and realized it was shoe polish. He frowned, wondering what it was doing in Naruto's hair. Mentally he added that to the list of questions to ask the blond when he woke up.

Satisfied that he had done the best he could with the most serious wound, Sasuke decided he would remove Naruto's pants to check the rest of him. Naruto hadn't been limping, so he wasn't overly concerned, but Sasuke wanted to be sure. He had planned to leave the boy in his boxers for modesty's sake, but his hands stilled after undoing the zipper of Naruto's pants and discovering that there was nothing beneath them. Evidently his young criminal preferred to go commando.

Sasuke felt sweat prickle on the palms of his hands as he looked down at where the open zipper had revealed nothing but more smooth, tan skin with an almost invisible line of fine blond hair that disappeared at the base of the zipper. _No tan line in sight,_ Sasuke thought distractedly. _Definitely a natural blond. _All he'd need was a little tug on the pants...

He dipped his finger into the side of the waistband of Naruto's pants, hooking the fabric down slightly to reveal one of Naruto's hipbones. Still no tan line. Sasuke resisted the urge to go further, not so much out of consideration for Naruto's potential feelings, but more because he refused to sneak like a beggar in the night to get a glimpse of the parts of Naruto's body he hadn't seen yet.

Still, he couldn't resist sliding the palm of his hand up over the hip bone and across the hard, flat stomach... the softness of the boy's skin at odds with the hardness of the muscle beneath. Sasuke felt his erection return full force, and removed his hand.

He could have forced Naruto on the very first day and demanded everything, had he wanted to. But it wouldn't have satisfied him nearly as much as having Naruto give in because the blond _wanted_ it. Sasuke needed complete capitulation from Naruto. The blond loved to throw the fact in Sasuke's face that he only touched Sasuke because Orochimaru had assigned this 'task' to him. Insisting that this was all just part of some unpleasant job that had been foisted on the blond. Sasuke would not be satisfied with that. When the time came, Sasuke didn't want to give Naruto the luxury of hiding behind something like that. He wanted a full admission.

He had seen the changes in the way Naruto looked at him over the past few days. The blue eyes were no longer full of cool disdain and mockery. Sasuke had seen flashes of admiration and lust in them when Naruto let his guard drop. Their last three encounters had ended with Naruto leaving Sasuke's home hard and unfulfilled. Sasuke knew Naruto was close... so close... to giving in.

Sasuke's attraction was purely sexual, of course, he reassured himself. Some sort of intense chemistry... weird pheromones or something. It would fade like it always did. Once Naruto had yielded, surely Sasuke's interest would wane. And he would be able to get back to his normal life without distraction.

With brusque efficiency, he zipped the pants back up and simply felt along Naruto's legs, looking for lumps that didn't belong or signs of a bandage. But there was nothing, so Sasuke assumed the only two serious injuries were the head wound and the cut on his arm.

. . . .

The chime of the elevator sounded, and Sasuke stood quickly to take the medical supplies from Jugo, ignoring the man's questioning gaze.

"You will not call my brother regarding this," Sasuke stated flatly.

Jugo seemed to hesitate, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Very well," the large man said, clearly torn about which Uchiha he should fear more.

Sasuke wasn't entirely confident he had won that battle, but he knew there was nothing more he could do without actually tying the head of security up in his apartment.

He turned back to Naruto, and removed the antiseptic and bandages from the bag and quickly disinfected and dressed both wounds. Once finished, he sat back and looked at the blond for a moment, considering. What was it about this person that fascinated him to this extent?

It was true that the boy was beautiful. But Sasuke had met many physically beautiful people, and never felt this strong a pull. Part of it was the strange almost angelic quality of his looks contrasting with the knowledge that he was so dangerous... had even killed. Sasuke had watched Naruto while they'd been together the past week. When they were in a new place, or one with many people or many points of access, Naruto had this focus, this intensity that came over him. Sasuke got the sense that Naruto remembered every face, every voice, analyzed every potential angle of attack in those meetings. Sasuke found that... compelling. And attractive.

Of course, in other meetings where it had just been Sasuke and one other person in a small office with only one entry point, Naruto's eyes had glazed over with boredom. Clearly politics were not his interest. Sasuke wondered if the boy had even finished high school.

But it didn't diminish his attraction. Unconsciously, his fingers gripped the blond's chin tightly as he tilted Naruto's face up. "Why?" He asked, his voice annoyed but bemused.

He released Naruto's chin and stood abruptly. He had work to do. And if the blond didn't wake up soon, then he had a decision to make.

Sasuke turned on the news to run in the background while he worked at his desk. As a politician, he needed to stay on top of what was happening in the community. After a few minutes, though, the words that were coming from the TV penetrated his thoughts and captured his full attention.

"... _where police say he was struck and killed by a subway train yesterday evening. Reports say he was affiliated with a Russian mafia syndicate, but no further details are being released. Police are still looking for the black haired youth that the man was seen chasing at gunpoint into the subway tunnels. Several witnesses recalled shots being fired by the deceased after the fleeing youth. It is unclear if the boy was killed or escaped. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of this person is asked to contact the NYPD. _

_In other news, green gardening on rooftops has become a growing fad in New York City this summer..."_

Sasuke let the rest of the reporter's words wash over him. _Black hair... or shoe polish?_

. . .

Naruto's first thought was that he wasn't in a hospital. There was no antiseptic smell, no beeping of medical equipment. He could hear a TV on somewhere. He cautiously opened his eyes. He was alone in Sasuke's living room, laying on one of Sasuke's leather sofas. He slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, groaning slightly at the effort. He hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and his blood sugar was running extremely low on top of everything else, making his head spin.

"So you finally decided to wake up. I was just about to call a doctor. Saves me the trouble," Sasuke said, his voice emotionless as he walked out from his office into the living room. Naruto noticed that Sasuke changed out of his work suit, and was now dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans. Since Naruto only ever escorted Sasuke for work, he had never seen him dressed casually. He had to admit that the man looked good in just about anything.

Naruto focused on arranging his thoughts. He remembered coming in, Sasuke noticing his injuries, then nothing. He must have passed out. And strangely, Sasuke hadn't called an ambulance, or the police. Tentatively, he reached up and felt a bandage on his head. He noticed another on his arm.

"You... you put these bandages on me?" That was a mental image Naruto just could not conjure, but there didn't appear to be anyone else in the apartment.

"Your head was leaking blood onto my sofa. I didn't want it to ruin the leather. It's Italian." Sasuke had reached the couch where Naruto was sitting, and stood just in front of him, looking down on the blond with seemingly little interest. But he hadn't called 911.

For the first time since Naruto had met Sasuke, he wondered what the raven thought of him. What he wanted from him. If it were a simple, transactional relationship, Sasuke would simply have called the police and been done with him. It was definitely the safest course of action for a public figure to take in a situation like this. But he hadn't. Naruto couldn't understand why, but he was grateful.

"Bastard," Naruto said, a small smile on his face as he compared the man's words with his actions. "Thanks. For not calling an ambulance, or the police, or whatever. Hope I didn't mess up your fancy couch too much. At least I didn't throw up on it."

Sasuke frowned. "Were you throwing up earlier?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sunlight sucks right now. As long as I stay indoors it seems pretty ok."

"How do you feel now?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm ok, I guess," Naruto said.

Sasuke bent down, looking closely at Naruto's eyes. He had read online that constricted or unequal pupil dilation was a sign of brain injury. He wasn't sure he would really be able to tell, but thought he'd try.

At the closeness of this new position, Naruto could smell Sasuke's aftershave. His face was so close that he could feel Sasuke's breath on his cheek. A wave of dizziness washed over Naruto. "Actually, I guess I'm still feeling a little dizzy. Can you... give me some space here?"

Sasuke paused, a small smirk forming as he took in the possible implications of Naruto's unguarded words. But he pulled back. This wasn't the time. Naruto's pupils looked like they always did, which Sasuke took to be a good sign.

"You should see a doctor. Do you have someone you use?"

Naruto hesitated. He didn't want to call Sakura until he knew just how much danger he was in. And anyone else was out of the question. Sasuke frowned at Naruto's lack of response.

"Look, I'm not trying to get involved in your business. But it would be bad for my PR if I had someone die in my home. Especially from a gunshot wound to the head that looks many hours old. I'd probably have to fill out paperwork, and that would be annoying," Sasuke said, standing casually but his eyes intense. Almost... worried?

"Well, I'd hate to inconvenience you with paperwork by dying," Naruto said drily. "If you promise to stay in your home until I find out what the hell is going on, I'll head out and save you the trouble."

Naruto started to stand, but found a hand on his shoulder pressing him back down. "No. Not until you tell me whether this had something to do with me or not."

Sasuke didn't really know why, but he didn't want Naruto leaving. Finding out what Naruto knew about this situation was only a part of the reason, but it was definitely the part he felt most comfortable addressing. The part that made him feel like he wanted to keep Naruto here so he could protect him and keep him safe made less sense to him, so he ignored it for the moment.

"I honestly am not sure," Naruto said, carefully choosing his words, but wishing his head wasn't pounding so much. It was hard to be careful with what he said when his brain was barely back to functioning. He couldn't forget who Sasuke's brother was, or he'd wind up in jail.

"Let's start with something basic, like do you know who shot you?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke, then shifted a bit under the scrutiny.

"It's a simple question, Naruto. Yes or no."

"I don't know their names, but I know who they were," Naruto said, wishing his head was clear for this conversation. Sasuke was not someone who would miss any slip-ups Naruto might make.

"They?" Sasuke asked. He also noted the tense of the verb 'were', and wondered if he should read into that what he was. But he knew better than to ask that directly.

"Yeah. Look, all I know is that someone started following me after I left your place yesterday, which is why I am not sure if it has something to do with you or not. He wasn't someone I recognized... not someone I have had trouble with in my past. I ran into more people he worked with and it got ugly, and I got shot. But I don't know why they were after me," Naruto ran his words through his head one more time, and decided he hadn't given anything away that was dangerous. "I don't know if it had anything to do with you, which is why I came over today. In case they were just trying to get me out of the way to get to you."

Sasuke frowned at that, not liking the apparent lack of concern on Naruto's part about the boy's own safety. Naruto should have been hiding, or going to the police for protection, not coming to check on Sasuke. The feeling in Sasuke's stomach twisted further.

"Ok. So you were shot last night after leaving my place. Where?" Sasuke asked.

"In the fucking head, bastard," Naruto said, glaring at Sasuke. Evidently his nap had returned his ability to glare.

"No, moron. I mean what address. Where were you shot? In the subway tunnels?"

Naruto's expression of shock gave him away though he quickly tried to mask it. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You had black shoe polish in your hair, and a bullet wound. You were followed on your way back from my place, and I know you usually take the subway home. The police are looking for a black-haired youth who was chased at gunpoint through the subway tunnels last night by a man killed by a train."

Naruto stayed stonily silent. Sasuke looked at him for a moment. "Naruto... by all accounts the man was chasing you trying to kill you. The police found the only signs of injury on him were caused from the train."

Naruto leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. "I can't think straight right now. But I'm not dumb enough to believe that someone with my background could ever be involved in anything like that without going to jail for it. So my official statement is that I have no idea what you are talking about. And if you don't stop asking me about it, I'm going to leave."

In Naruto's current state, Sasuke was pretty confident he could keep him here by force, but he didn't say anything.

"Look," Naruto said. "The only piece that you need to know is that I am not sure why someone tried to kill us, but -"

"Us?" Sasuke said.

"Me... I meant me. I don't know why someone tried to kill me, but given that one of the men started following me right after I left your place, at minimum we should assume they know I am working for you. One possibility is that they were trying to get me out of the way because they are the people behind the photos. Another possibility is that I am the primary target, but even then they could still target you because of your association with me. I came here this morning because I wanted to find out if anything unusual had happened, and also to warn Jugo to look out for anything strange. But so far... it doesn't look like anything is happening here."

Sasuke paused, trying to think things through. "Could it be someone connected with Orochimaru?"

Naruto felt his head spinning from lack of food and all the talking. He didn't really think much about his answer. "No, he doesn't have dealings with the Russians from what I've heard. I know all the guys he has follow me and... _oh, shit!"_ Naruto's eyes flew open as he realized something important that he had missed yesterday.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"The... the guy that Orochimaru usually has follow me back from your place. He wasn't there yesterday. The guy who followed me must have taken him out. _Fuck!_ No wonder Orochimaru was so pissed at me when I came home this morning. If he decides I was the one who did it, he's totally going to..." Naruto stopped himself, his mind racing painfully. If Orochimaru thought Naruto had killed the person he had tailing him, would he consider that a breach of contract? Would he find all his friends on the evening news tonight?

"Orochimaru has someone following you?"

"Yeah. He wants to make sure I show up here when I'm supposed to, and don't talk to people I'm not supposed to," Naruto said, clearly unconcerned about it at the moment relative to everything else that was happening.

Sasuke was more disturbed, however. He had assumed that Naruto was working for Orochimaru relatively voluntarily. That the blond needed money, or something, and that was why he did it. The fact that Orochimaru was having him followed suggested something much more coerced. That sat less well with him.

"Is it possible that Orochimaru's guy noticed this Russian and left voluntarily to either get out of the way or get new instructions?"

"I... have no idea. I guess I can ask Orochimaru when I get back tonight and see what he has to say."

"You're staying here tonight," Sasuke said flatly.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked. "I'm not full strength yet, so I don't know how useful I'll be as protection. And I'm probably not going to be able to suck you off or anything. I haven't been able to hold anything down since before I got shot, and I can barely move my head without feeling like I'm going to pass out."

Sasuke sighed in annoyance. "Idiot. I don't expect sex with you tonight. You look like hell, anyway. I just don't want you going out and getting shot. This is a very secure building. And there is a good chance that your attackers don't even know where you are right now."

"Well excuse me for not looking awesome today. But I'm pretty sure my job is to protect _you_, not the other way around."

"Fine. Then stay and protect me. Apparently, there are roving gangs of gunmen in the City. Jugo might not be able to take them all out at once before the police get here. I'll call Orochimaru and say I received a new threat, and am insisting that you stay until we clear it up."

Naruto thought for a minute. He certainly didn't want to go back to Orochimaru's right now, given that he wasn't sure if the man thought he had killed one of his lackeys. And he couldn't go back to his own apartment, now that that had been found by the Russians. He didn't know why Sasuke was being so nice about it, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth at this point. "Ok, fine. But I'm sleeping on the couch."

"I have a perfectly functional guest room. Three, in fact."

"If my job is to protect you, and the only entry point is that elevator, then I am sleeping between you and the elevator."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Though if you really want to keep me safe, sleeping in the same room seems like the best bet," Sasuke's mouth didn't actually _show_ the smirk, but Naruto could hear it.

"In your dreams, princess," Naruto retorted, though it was half-hearted. He looked exhausted.

"So... do you think your stomach could hold anything down?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto considered it. "I don't know. I'm willing to try, though. I can't afford to have my strength this low for long."

Sasuke went to the kitchen and came back with a tall glass of an amber liquid.

"I don't drink," Naruto said, annoyed.

"You don't drink apple juice?" Sasuke said, raising a perfectly arched brow.

"Oh, sorry... it looked like beer or something."

"Why would I give a man with a head injury alcohol?" Sasuke said disgustedly.

"Because you're a perverted lush?" Naruto asked, accepting the glass from his host.

Sasuke snorted. "Right. I've only been drunk like three times in my whole life."

"Really? You always seem to have a drink when we come back here. And I noticed you didn't deny the pervert part," Naruto said, grinning.

"I have _one_ drink in the evenings. And it gives me something to do with my mouth and hands, since you have intimacy issues, or something."

Naruto choked on his juice. They hadn't ever really discussed it. Naruto had simply let his actions indicate what he would and wouldn't allow. Was Sasuke going to try to renegotiate terms? Part of Naruto felt a dark swirl of desire at the thought. If Sasuke demanded it, then Naruto would _have_ to do it... and the thought of having sex with Sasuke was becoming increasingly more appealing. But he didn't want to admit that... didn't want to give the confidant, successful man in front of him that kind of power or acknowledgement.

Sasuke simply looked at him, watching Naruto drink the juice, an unreadable expression on his face.

. . . . .

The elevator chimed, and both Sasuke and Naruto jumped slightly and looked towards the door that was opening.

Itachi walked out, stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Naruto naked from the waist up with a bandage on his head and arm, then shot a glare at Sasuke.

"And why is it that I have to find out third hand that my brother has cancelled all his meetings for the day due to health issues, and is instead locked in his penthouse with a potentially injured visitor?"

"I'm going to fire Jugo," Sasuke muttered.

Itachi smirked as he removed his shoes. "Please, otouto. You know I will simply influence whoever you hire next in exactly the same way. Jugo is good at his job. He is just able to tell which of the two of us it would be more dangerous to displease. And he is not the only one who called me this morning about your actions."

Itachi walked into the room, then sat down next to Naruto, ignoring the way Sasuke's eyes narrowed at his proximity to the blond.

"What happened to your head, Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked, reaching a hand to touch the bandage on Naruto's head, keeping his amusement at his baby brother's reaction concealed from his voice.

"Naruto was shot in the head," Sasuke bit out, placing an almost proprietary hand on the boy's shoulder.

Itachi's eyes widened, and his amusement fled despite his brother's ridiculous show of possessiveness. "When did this happen?"

"Last night," Sasuke said, again answering for Naruto. In any other circumstance, Naruto would have been annoyed, but right now he was glad to be able to take a break from talking.

"Does this have to do with the person stalking you?" Itachi asked Sasuke, "Is that why you cancelled your meetings today?"

"We don't know. And yes. Partially," Sasuke replied, glancing down at Naruto. Itachi followed his glance, noticing the pallor of the blond's face.

"They released him from the hospital so soon?" Itachi asked skeptically. Naruto didn't look ready to be out of the hospital in his opinion.

The silence that filled the penthouse at Itachi's comment was deafening.

Itachi shot Sasuke a sharp glance. "He hasn't been to a doctor yet?"

"I fucking hate hospitals," Naruto muttered, setting his empty glass on the coffee table.

"We need to call -" Itachi had been reaching into his pocket for his phone when a tan hand had shot out and viced around Itachi's wrist, stopping him with surprising strength.

"You are not going to call 911. No hospitals," the intensity in the blue eyes gave Itachi pause.

"Ok, no hospitals," Itachi said placatingly. He twisted his wrist slowly until Naruto let go, noting he was likely to have a bruise, making a mental note of Naruto's physical strength even in his weakened condition. "If you have such an aversion to those places, then I am guessing that you have someone else you call when you need medical assistance. In your line of work, it must be a fairly regular occurrence."

"Nagato had someone at the house, but he's long gone," Naruto said. "I don't know if Orochimaru has someone, but I wouldn't trust them if he did."

"You mentioned there was someone else," Sasuke said, ignoring the glare Naruto sent him.

"I don't want to bring her into this. She isn't a player in this stuff. She's just a regular person. I don't want her to become a target."

"You could at least call her and talk to her over the phone. If she's a doctor, she'll know the right questions to ask to get a sense of how serious this is," Itachi said.

They could see Naruto hesitating. Itachi pushed his advantage, handing Naruto his phone. "Use my phone. Call her."

Slowly, Naruto took the phone and dialed. Sasuke looked at his brother, knowing the man had purposefully had Naruto use his phone so that he would have an easy way of getting her number and finding out who she was. Itachi never missed a trick.

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto said, forcing his voice to sound normal.

_"Naruto! Are you ok? Why are you calling?" _Naruto could hear the instant worry in her voice, and felt guilty for it.

"I'm ok. I just... I had sort of an accident," Naruto ignored Sasuke's snort at his choice of words, "... and I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions just to be sure it's nothing serious."

"_Why don't I just come over and check you out? I just finished my shift. Just let me know the type of injury, and I can grab my bag and -"_

"No! Sakura, whatever you do, _do not_ come by the apartment anymore. We've moved out, and... it's not safe." Itachi and Sasuke simultaneously narrowed their eyes at Naruto's words, correctly guessing that Naruto was not referring to Orochimaru's place.

"_Naruto, what is going on? Are you in trouble?"_

"I'm ok. I just... I had a... bulletgrazemyheadlastnight," Naruto said in a rush, knowing the explosion that was likely to result. He pulled the phone away from his ear just in time.

"_NARUTO YOU IDIOT! ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU WERE SHOT IN THE HEAD AND YOU DIDN'T GO TO THE HOSPITAL OR CALL ME UNTIL ALMOST A DAY LATER?"_

Sasuke snickered, clearly able to hear every word that was shouted out of the phone.

"S-Sakura-chan, no need to be angry," Naruto said, reflexively tacking on the Japanese familiar term without realizing it, despite the fact that Sakura didn't speak Japanese. "You know how I am with hospitals, and I didn't want to get you involved..."

_"Where. Are. You. Now,"_ she said, her voice firm.

"I'm at a..." Naruto searched wildly for a word that described Sasuke's relationship with him. "... a friend's place. But I'm not sure it's safe for you to come. I'd rather try to just talk it through on the phone and see what you think. I want to keep you out of - "

"_Please put your friend on the phone_."

"Ah, I'm not sure that's a good -"

"_I'M NOT ASKING YOUR OPINION. PUT YOUR FRIEND ON THE PHONE NOW."_

Sasuke reached down and took the phone, having heard the request perfectly clearly from two feet away.

"This is Sasuke," he said, his voice smooth.

"Hello, Sasuke. This is Dr. Haruno. I am Naruto's physician. Evidently, he got himself shot in the head last night, and I don't trust him to answer my questions honestly because he can be a complete idiot when it comes to his own health even without a bullet lodged in his thick skull. Can I ask you a few questions about his injury?"

Sasuke smirked a bit. "Of course." Sasuke proceeded to answer questions Sakura had about the size and depth of the wound, signs of potential infection, the amount of bleeding, and what Sasuke observed about Naruto's ability to speak, remain conscious, and hold down food.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sasuke, I thought you were supposed to be a pervy politician. You trying to role-play Nurse now?"

"Quiet, Dobe. It's either this or I tie you up and drag you down to the hospital."

"Didn't I say I wasn't up for sex tonight? No bondage for you."

Sasuke just looked at him for a moment, and Naruto swore the temperature in the room jumped by about a thousand degrees.

"Sorry, what was that?" Sasuke said into the phone, snapping himself back to the matter at hand. He gave Sakura his address, then hung up.

"She's coming over," Sasuke said.

"What? Why? I said I didn't want her to come here. What if they connect her to me?"

"Naruto, do you have any idea how many hundreds of families live in this apartment complex? She said she was aware there were risks, but didn't care. She also said to tell you she would be careful and to stop treating her like she can't protect herself. You need to be seen by a doctor. She volunteered. End of story."

Sasuke paused, handing the phone back to Itachi, then looking carefully at his fingernails. He casually asked, "So is she your girlfriend?"

"What? No... she's... it's complicated. But no. We were involved briefly a long time ago but... I'm not in a position to have relationships. Especially not with people who aren't involved with the kind of people I work for. We've been friends for a few years."

Sasuke simply nodded, not wanting to admit that he felt relief. The concern and banter between the two had taken him by surprise. To be honest, he hadn't really considered that Naruto might have an actual relationship with someone. He was relieved to hear the blond basically admit that he wasn't dating anyone. Not that Sasuke wanted to _date _Naruto. He just was glad that there wasn't someone else that would get in the way of what he _did_ want to do with Naruto.

"Naruto, do you think that whoever attacked you followed you here?" Itachi asked.

"No. They didn't follow me," Naruto said flatly.

Itachi studied him, noting that Naruto's answer was one hundred percent confident. And there was only one way that could be true. "Am I going to be dealing with bodies that tie back to you, Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked. He really wouldn't want to prosecute the boy if he could avoid it. Hopefully they could make the case for self-defense, though if Naruto refused to be treated by a hospital there would not be medical records to confirm it.

"No," Naruto said, again without inflection.

Itachi frowned. "Look, Naruto, no matter how well you think you've hidden a body, or the crime scene, modern forensics -"

"I said there are no bodies. I have no idea what you are talking about." Naruto lay back on the couch and closed his eyes again, more to shut out the conversation than because he actually felt ill. The sugar from the apple juice had made him feel significantly better.

Itachi looked over at Sasuke, who shrugged. "I don't suppose you are going to tell me who your roommate is, or what happened to them."

Naruto didn't even bother to open his eyes to acknowledge Itachi's question.

Naruto was surprised that Sasuke didn't tell Itachi everything that Naruto had told him. Sasuke didn't mention the subway incident, or the Russians. He told Itachi only that Naruto didn't know who had attacked him, except it didn't appear to have come from Orochimaru. They were leaving all other possibilities open.

. . . .

Sasuke called down and ordered up some lunch. There was an awkward silence in the room, with Itachi clearly wanting to ask more questions, but also understanding that Naruto would be foolish to answer most of them. Jugo brought lunch in, and Naruto discovered that Sasuke had ordered him chicken noodle soup.

Somehow, Naruto found that sweet. He hid a small smile when Sasuke set the bowl in front of him.

"What?" Sasuke asked, sounding irritated. Evidently he had noticed the smile after all.

Naruto just waved his spoon in dismissal and proceeded to eat. Cautiously at first, then with increasing confidence as his stomach made no moves to reject the food.

They ate in silence. Finally Itachi spoke.

"Look, Naruto. I understand that - because I work in the district attorney's office - there are a lot of things that you can't or won't tell me. I am not trying to get you arrested. Right now, I just want you to tell me, as Sasuke's older brother, is there anything I need to know? I'll keep your name out of it, even if I have to lie. I just really... want to make sure nothing happens to him."

Naruto appreciated the direct appeal, and somehow took Itachi at his word that he wouldn't use information Naruto gave him to prosecute him. He had the sense that Itachi was not someone who normally was as open about his objectives as this, and he appreciated that the older man had not tried to intimidate or manipulate him. Naruto thought about what he knew about the situation, wanting to answer the Itachi's question as best he could.

"My gut tells me that these guys were after my roommate, not me, and not Sasuke. The only problem with that theory, though, is that they shouldn't have known where I was. The only people who knew where I was last night should have been Orochimaru and Sasuke. And I am pretty sure that neither of them set this guy or his pals on me. That's all I know for sure. But... I have some very dangerous enemies from my past. And they will target anyone associated with me if they find me. Unfortunately, it looks like whoever is behind the attack last night already knows about Sasuke. If not, I wouldn't have come here until I was sure one way or the other," Naruto said seriously.

Sasuke looked displeased with this, but Naruto just shrugged.

"There is one other thing that you should know, though I don't think it connects with this. Itachi, you need to watch your back with Kabuto."

Itachi looked slightly surprised at the comment. "Why?"

"Because he is working for Orochimaru. He practically worships the guy. He had promised to get on the Akatsuki case and give information to Orochimaru about the trial and stuff. I don't know if he was supposed to influence things, or just keep Orochimaru informed. But Kabuto failed, and blamed you. Orochimaru was unhappy with him. And Kabuto... is obsessively loyal to Orochimaru. So watch your back. That guy is messed up. And he is jealous of you."

Itachi had never liked Kabuto. It was part of the reason he had denied the request for Kabuto to join his team. That, and the fact that he knew that the case would be high profile and tricky, and he needed to minimize the number of people who could be influenced, bought, or just fuck things up.

Itachi nodded slowly. "Ok. I will make sure not to involve him in the investigation."

Naruto hadn't needed to tell him this. It was a symbol of trust. Itachi and Sasuke both recognized and valued it as such. Itachi wanted to ask more questions, but was respectful of the trust Naruto had shown and didn't want to push too far too soon.

"So you think that there are at least two different groups involved... the one who sent the photos and the people who shot you?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto sighed tiredly and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Fuck if I know. Nagato and Ko -" Naruto cut himself off. "Nagato was the master-mind... not me. I wish I could ask him what the hell is going on. He always was able to figure out the situation, know what players were involved, and what they were after,'" Naruto said. Sasuke and Itachi both caught the sadness in the boy's voice. Whatever they thought of Nagato, they respected the fact that the people who worked for him had loved him.

Itachi had noticed the slip the boy had made. He had been about to say 'Nagato and Konan'. He remembered the beautiful, blue-haired woman from the night the Akatsuki had been brought in. Everything had pointed to her being no more than Nagato's lover, not involved with the business outside of his bedroom.

She had fooled them all. There had been not a single shred of evidence connecting her to anything. Very few people ever got the better of him. Itachi had to admire that about her.

Sasuke's phone rang. It was Jugo letting him know that a Dr. Haruno had arrived.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

Soo... Naruto and Sasuke did something together that had nothing (much) to do with sex. It only took seven chapters. LOL.


	8. Chapter 8 - Bomb

**Summary: **"It says here that you were sent along with the proposal to demonstrate Orochimaru's _deep appreciation_ of my special consideration and attention to this matter," Sasuke said, his voice inflectionless.

Sasuke eyed him with seeming disinterest. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Naruto said sinking fluidly to his knees, his hand slowly rising to Sasuke's zipper.

**Warning: Hard Yaoi (Boy x Boy) **sex, violence, language, etc. Not appropriate for young readers. 18+

**Author's note** - Thanks for all your awesome comments... I love to hear what you are thinking and what worked. It makes writing this 100x more fun than just shooting words off into the void and getting nothing back. Also, BriEva is writing a oneshot sidefic on the back story of Sakura... it is called Deceiving. I don't go super deep into Sakura's history in this fic, but she took it on and built it out!

-xXx-

The elevator chimed, and Naruto pulled himself up to stand. He swayed slightly.

Sasuke scowled. "What the hell are you doing, idiot? You're supposed to stay laying down."

Naruto didn't even look at him. He started walking over to the elevator. "My friend is coming up. And I know from experience that you have no manners for greeting someone who comes to your home."

Itachi threw Sasuke a questioning look, which Sasuke promptly ignored.

Sakura was just stepping out of the elevator, her eyes going wide as she took in the size and luxury of the penthouse. This was definitely _not_ her or Naruto's part of town.

"Sakura. You didn't have to come. I'm really fine," Naruto said, loud enough for his voice to carry to the two dark-eyed brothers watching from the living room. He dropped his voice to a low whisper as he pretended to kiss Sakura's cheek. "Watch what you say," was the only warning he had time for before he felt another presence coming up behind him.

"I am Itachi Uchiha, and this is my brother, Sasuke," Itachi said smoothly, shaking her hand. Sasuke stood beside him, a frown in his eyes as he had noted that Sakura's hand still rested lightly on Naruto's shoulder. He also hadn't missed the kiss. What kind of doctor was she? She had pink hair and kissed her patients. But he observed the formalities of greeting her politely. _Not_ just to prove Naruto wrong.

"Sasuke," he said, offering his hand as well. Sakura shook it, her eyes widening slightly as they flicked between the two impossibly beautiful dark-haired men. People should not be allowed to look like that in real life, she decided.

"I'm Dr. Haruno. You can call me Sakura. Nice to meet you," Sakura said smoothly. Normally she wouldn't use her title, but she had immediately recognized the two men in front of her from seeing them on the covers of magazines and newspapers, and she wanted to assert her authority in whatever insane situation Naruto had managed to get himself into. Though she didn't know if it would do much good with either of them.

She gave Naruto a small shove in the direction of the living room. "To the couch, mister. Even a head as hard as yours isn't meant to go up against a bullet."

Naruto stumbled, and her eyes flashed true concern. "You're dizzy," she said accusingly, immediately grabbing his arm to keep him from stumbling further. "What are you doing standing? Are you _trying _to make it worse by passing out and hitting your head?"

She heard a snort of agreement from one of the men behind her.

Naruto let her lead him to the couch and he lay down obediently. He had had enough experience with Sakura in the past to know that it would only end badly for him if he resisted. She might be a good six inches shorted than him, but she had no problem using her considerable strength to overpower an injured man if she deemed his actions stupid enough to warrant it.

She leaned over to examine the bandage, and whispered as soundlessly as possible, "Naruto, what the hell are you doing here? Do you know who these guys are? They are insanely rich and seriously connected and you have to be careful." She shot a nervous glance over to where Sasuke was watching them intently, clearly displeased at the whispered conversation that was happening.

Naruto flinched as she pulled off the bandage. "This wasn't exactly my choice. But don't worry. It's under control," he whispered back.

"Under control? Under control? You have a bullet hole in your head, Naruto. How is that under fucking control?" Her voice had risen well out of the whisper volume towards the end, to the point where Itachi and Sasuke could clearly hear what she was saying.

She blew out a breath. First things first. "Who treated the initial wound?"

"Umm... my roommate," Naruto said, glancing at the two men watching. He prayed that Sakura would not say Gaara's name. He needn't have worried. She had clearly gotten the message at the door.

Her hand froze. "Is... your roommate... ok?"

He could see her swallowing down her worry, potentially wondering if the absence of Gaara's presence here meant he was more seriously injured. He reassured her, "Yes. He's fine."

Naruto saw the tension ease from her expression. Naruto continued. "He put a quick bandage on me, but then we had to... go to work. Sasuke cleaned the wound more thoroughly and bandaged it for me when I got here."

Sakura looked over at the man with some surprise. Sasuke didn't seem like a person who would know how to change bandages. Or one who would bother to do so for someone else. This whole situation made no sense to her. Naruto didn't let people near him when he was seriously injured. The only exceptions to that rule had been a few members of Nagato's crew, Gaara, and Sakura. She didn't know Naruto's history, but she knew that he had people after him who would be ecstatic to find him in a weakened state. Naruto didn't trust easily. Why would he have willingly come here when he was this injured and vulnerable?

Why would Naruto have trusted these two men who so clearly didn't belong in Naruto's world? Sakura was intelligent enough to keep those thoughts and questions to herself. Instead she turned to Sasuke and simply said, "You did a good job. The wound is clean and the bandages have slowed the bleeding. But it will still require stitches."

This earned an annoyed grunt from Naruto. "Oh, fucking hell, Sakura. I don't care if I have a scar. Can't we just leave it?"

"Don't be a baby. If you weren't so obsessed about 'no anesthetics', it wouldn't have to hurt. Now suck it up and lay still."

Sakura went to the bar area and washed her hands, then rinsed them with antiseptic. She walked back over to where Naruto was looking at her apprehensively, and reached into her bag and pulled out a sterile pack of suture thread and unwrapped a clean needle.

"You guys don't have to watch," Naruto said tensely to Itachi and Sasuke, not taking his eyes off Sakura and the objects she was holding in her hands. "Sakura likes to drag out these little torture sessions. She's a total sadist. It was her whole reason for becoming a doctor."

"You know," Sakura drawled. "We could make this thirty stitches instead of six."

"We could make it zero and I could give you an express ride down the elevator shaft," Naruto countered, a small smile reaching his lips. This was clearly not their first time having this discussion.

"I could open the bottle of antiseptic and re-cleanse your wound with a scrub brush."

Naruto clamped his jaw closed. That was a threat that held serious weight. Sakura had the grace not to smirk, and simply began stitching his scalp. Naruto gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, counting each stitch as he felt the needle pierce his flesh.

While she worked, Itachi asked Sakura questions about where she was currently practicing, where she'd gone to medical school, what area of medicine she focused on. The questions could have passed for casual conversation. But both Sakura and Naruto knew it was more probing than that. She knew that if Naruto thought that Sasuke or Itachi were dangerous, he would never have called her in their presence. So Sakura answered his questions directly. He didn't ask about her relationship with Naruto, or anything personal.

Sasuke watched in silence. It was unclear if he simply had a fascination for the process, or if he were trying to make sure that Sakura didn't do anything suspicious. It annoyed her somewhat, both professionally and personally. As a doctor, she knew what she was doing. She worked in the busiest Emergency Room in New York City. She could put battlefield medics to shame.

On a personal level, she resented the proprietary air that she was sensing from the younger Uchiha towards her friend. She didn't think that Naruto was oblivious to it, but he seemed to be tolerating it. That surprised her somewhat. Naruto avoided relationships of any sort the way oil avoided water. With the notable exception of Gaara. The vibe she was getting between Naruto and Sasuke made no sense to her. Sakura found herself wondering once again what the hell her friend had gotten himself into, and what the nature of his relationship was with the younger Uchiha. Naruto had said he had come here to work, but somehow it didn't feel like that.

But she knew she wouldn't be able to ask Naruto about anything here. If he even would tell her anything, which was doubtful.

However, that didn't mean she couldn't throw a little jab at the wealthy politician to test her theory. So when she finished up, she washed her hands again then sat down on the sofa where Naruto was resting. She ran her fingers through his blond hair playfully. Slightly sensually. She noticed amusement spark in blue eyes at the same time she noticed icy displeasure emanate from black eyes.

"Poor baby. Why don't you come back to my place and let me take care of you. You shouldn't be working today," she kept her voice ambiguous. It didn't exactly sound like an offer for sex. But it also didn't sound like it wasn't one.

"He's staying here," Sasuke said coldly. "Walking outside made him sick. He will rest here."

Sakura looked innocently at Sasuke. "Won't it be an inconvenience for you? Surely a man in your position doesn't have time for -"

"It's _fine_. I'm working from home today. Are you done?" Sasuke asked, his clipped tone a not-so-subtle dismissal.

Sakura smiled. She didn't miss the amusement that flashed across Itachi's eyes. He clearly knew what she was doing. And wasn't averse to it.

"Sakura," Naruto said, his voice serious. "Be careful."

At first Sakura thought he was referring to her baiting of Sasuke, but she quickly realized he was talking about whatever was behind his injury. And she took it seriously.

"I will," she said softly, letting understanding show in her eyes. "I need to follow-up on your condition. What is the best way to reach you?"

Naruto never had a consistent cell number. Now that he wasn't living in his old home, she realized she had no way to contact him. "I'll call you in three days?"

Sakura nodded. "Call me sooner if you have increases in dizziness or vomiting, or if you lose consciousness again."

She knew he wouldn't tell her everything. But they had been friends for several years now. And he knew she was worried. He would tell her what he could, and she would have to accept it. She sent one last glance to the two men silently observing their conversation, then leaned down and placed a close-mouthed kiss on Naruto's lips. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, then crinkled in amusement. He wondered why Sakura was feeling the need to flaunt their closeness. But he didn't mind. Maybe Sasuke would think he was straight after this. He wasn't sure if that would help him or hurt him in his goal to avoid any further emotional entanglement with the councilman. And he didn't like the fact that he was no longer sure which outcome he was hoping for.

Sasuke cleared his throat to get their attention. "Dr. Haruno. Thank you so much for your services. How much do we owe you for this house call," he said, standing. There was something insulting about the way he said it, and Sakura was glad she was able to refuse the offer.

Sakura also stood, deciding not to push anymore. "There is no charge. Naruto is an... old friend." Again she left her tone not openly suggestive but definitely open to interpretation.

Sasuke didn't say another word as he escorted her to the elevator. Itachi simply watched with wicked amusement as his brother stiffly waited until the doors had closed behind her.

. . . .

"This gives new meaning to the notion of a 'personal' physician. You seem quite close with Dr. Haruno," Itachi said, failing to conceal the smirk as he glanced at his fuming younger brother.

Naruto shrugged. "We go way back," was all he offered. There was a moment of awkward silence.

Sasuke finally broke it. "We need to find out who was behind this."

"And who the actual target was," Itachi added.

Naruto paused. It felt strange to have this conversation with people like Sasuke and Itachi. They weren't exactly playing for the same team.

"I have access to police reports, but it doesn't sound like police were involved with any of this," Itachi said, looking at Naruto.

Naruto paused for a second... and decided it was worth the risk to talk about this, at least partially. "I'm pretty sure no one heard it go down. They had silencers. And these aren't the kind of guys who get reported missing. So I am guessing you won't be getting a call on this one."

"How many were there?" Sasuke asked. Naruto just shrugged. It didn't matter. It wouldn't get them closer to answers to talk about dead men.

But there was potentially something Itachi could help with.

"Tomorrow I'll go talk with Orochimaru and see what he knows. It would also be good if I could talk to Hidan and Dei... Hidan was going to look into a few things for me. If anyone in Sing Sing is connected with the group that did this, they can find out," Naruto said.

Sasuke frowned at the mention of Naruto going to talk to Orochimaru, but Itachi was already speaking. "I can clear you to have another visit with Hidan. But getting in to see Deidara will be problematic."

Naruto didn't blink at the knowledge that Itachi knew he had visited Hidan. He had assumed the police would monitor that. His comment about Dei had Naruto more concerned. "How long are they going to keep him in solitary? Aren't there rules about that shit?"

Itachi sighed. "They let him out of solitary three days ago. But there was an... incident... in the showers and now he's back in solitary again."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Jesus! Every fucking time. People think that just because the guy has long blond hair, he likes it up the ass. What did Dei do this time, break his arm?"

Itachi cleared his through, as though slightly embarrassed. "Ah... no. That would have probably not have landed him in solitary given the situation. It appears that there was some sort of... explosion. And a certain part of the man that had been bothering Deidara..."

"OH MY GOD ARE YOU TELLING ME DEI BLEW THE GUY'S FUCKING DICK OFF? THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Naruto burst out in deep, unrestrained laughter despite the agony it causes in his head. Sasuke had never seen Naruto laugh. The blond's entire being seemed to light up, and suddenly he looked so much younger and more innocent. Until he thought again about what it was that the blond found so funny. He realized it was the first time he was seeing the blond with his guard down while he was conscious. There was something contagious about Naruto's laugher, and Sasuke found his own lips turning up at the corners in response.

"It nearly killed the man. He's still in intensive care," Itachi said, knowing he should not be finding this funny. But somehow seeing Naruto's reaction to the situation did make the whole thing seem much more amusing then it had seemed when he first read the prison medical report.

"Good, I'm glad," Naruto said, gasping for air. "Fucking rapist. If the penalty for rape in New York were getting your dick blown off, I bet you'd see a pretty sharp drop in the rape rate. You should let the criminals be in charge of the punishment. We have much more effective approaches for these things. Besides, they guy must be a complete _idiot_ if he decided to try to take Dei in the showers. Dei is a fucking _legend_ in Nagato's organization. No one could take him down. Girly hair or no, the guy is a beast. Stories about him have been in all the papers since his arrest. The guy deserved what he got. If he dies, he should win the Darwin Award for taking himself out of the fucking gene pool."

Itachi couldn't argue with that. And he didn't deny that he didn't feel a lot of sympathy for the man who had met with such an... unfortunate turn of events.

"But seriously, how did Dei even get the explosives in there? Can they pin this on him?" Naruto asked, not really expecting Itachi to answer.

Itachi surprised him by actually answering. "That is a bit problematic. They have no clue how the explosives were smuggled in, placed in that _sensitive_ location without the victim noticing, nor how they were detonated. But given that the man had tried to rape Deidara in the showers just hours before it happened and that Deidara is known to be an assassin that uses explosives, they are pretty sure that he did it."

Naruto was laughing again, holding his head against the agony his concussion was causing. "Gah, you're fucking killing me. That is just too hilarious. They'll never pin this on him. He's too good. He's a fucking _artist _when it comes to this."

Rubbing his temples and finally catching his breath, Naruto looked at Sasuke, then Itachi. "Well, I am guessing Dei wouldn't have heard anything anyway, being locked in solitary all the time. But get me in to see Hidan tomorrow. He might know something. Orochimaru took care of all the paperwork."

"What about your roommate?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto hesitated. "I'm meeting him in two days. I'll find out what he knows then."

"I'll come with you," Sasuke said flatly.

"No way," Naruto said, all amusement gone from his face. "First off, there is still a good chance you are the main target. And the safest place for you is here. People won't notice me, but you are too well-known. I've been going with you out in public the past week. Half the people on the street recognize you, and in a city where no one looks at each other, that's saying something. And even without that, I might have decided to trust you somewhat, but if I'm wrong then the only person I want to get screwed by my bad judgment is me. If it is relevant to you guys, I'll tell you what my roommate says. But I'm going alone. If you try to follow me, I'll know. And you won't like what I do about it."

Sasuke held his gaze for a minute, but didn't really see a way to change the outcome. "Fine, but you come back here when you're done talking with him."

"Ok," Naruto said easily. It wasn't like he had a better place to go. At this point, he trusted Sasuke more than he trusted Orochimaru. It was a low bar, but true nonetheless.

Itachi looked at his watch and stood. "Well, as fascinating as this all is, I have work to return to." He nodded to Naruto. "I'll get you in to see Hidan tomorrow. Deidara... will be a while."

Naruto smirked. "You'll never pin this on him. It's all circumstantial."

Itachi smirked back. "Hn. Let's hope so." And Naruto knew the man meant it. And liked him for it.

Sasuke went to call Orochimaru and inform him of Naruto's new living arrangements.

-xXx-

Orochimaru sat in his library, looking at the man standing in front of him. He sighed. "You said you would be able to bring me the files on the Akatsuki activities. You said you were going to get access to Itachi's investigation."

"Orochimaru-sama, I haven't been able to -"

"Enough. Lucky for you, I am close to being able to work with Itachi directly. Then your incompetence won't bet in my way. Things are progressing well with his little brother. He called me just now, letting me know that he had wanted Naruto to move in to his penthouse until the situation has resolved. Evidently there has been another threat to Sasuke. Either that or he is simply wanting an excuse for the boy to stay in his house. Either works for me, though I will not be willing to overlook Naruto's transgression from last night in the long run. Hopefully he will become expendable within a week or two."

Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "But I don't understand. Why would Naruto staying with Sasuke give you leverage with Itachi? Even if it were revealed publically that Sasuke were gay, that would only be a minor scandal. He wouldn't be the only openly gay politician in the City. It wouldn't damage him. With current public sentiment, it might actually help him."

Orochimaru smiled. "You underestimate me, Kabuto. My goal isn't to destroy Uchiha Sasuke's career. What is the point of having powerful allies if they lose their power? No, my goal is simply to have him make him understand that he is not above me. And that I can be... helpful... in providing services that only I control, or cleaning up certain types of mistakes. Mistakes that normally he would not make, being the controlled, refined, and untouchable perfection that he is." Orochimaru ran his tongue over his lips.

Kabuto looked at the man, envy coursing through him at the way Orochimaru spoke of the Uchiha brothers.

Orochimaru shrugged. "Right now, the Uchihas consider themselves above me. They view me as neither an equal, nor an ally. If they become less than perfect, and I offer my assistance in certain ways, both of those things can change."

Kabuto said nothing as he watched Orochimaru pick up the phone and motioned with his hand for Kabuto to leave.

"Kimimaru-san. How are you feeling? I am glad that the kidney donor I found for you last year was a perfect match... yes, actually there is something very small that I would ask you to do for me at this Friday..."

Orochimaru waved Kabuto toward the door again, clearly not wanting the man privy to his conversation. He didn't need to know the details of what Orochimaru had planned. He had already made plans of his own.

-xXx-

After Itachi left, Naruto sat on the couch, unsure of what exactly to do. Every other time he had been in Sasuke's apartment, there had been a specific task he was here to perform. A message to deliver, a place to escort him, even the sexual part. It had been part of a job. This felt more like... he was visiting. He wasn't here on anyone's orders, and he really didn't need to stay if he didn't want to. Yet he wasn't leaving. He looked around the room, searching for something to say.

Sasuke seemed to have no such difficulties. "So, do you have religious beliefs against modern medicine or something?"

"Huh?"

"You know... no hospitals, no anesthetic, fear of antiseptic."

"Oh. Yeah, not really. Anesthetics have weird side effects on me... I can't seem to wake up even with small doses. And given I pretty much need to stay alert in my line of work, it's a bit of a hazard. Hospitals and antiseptic smell go together for me. Just... bad associations," Naruto said, trying to play it casual.

Sasuke saw the shadow behind the blue eyes, though, and knew it was a front. But he decided that whatever memory made Naruto fear hospitals worse than death, literally, he would not try to force out of him.

"Why are you so concerned about us knowing your roommates name, or even where your old apartment is?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Naruto asked, instinctively going on the defensive.

"Actually, I only have seven questions at the moment," Sasuke said. Naruto couldn't quite tell if he was serious or being sarcastic.

"So... do I win a prize if I answer all your questions?" Naruto said sarcastically, hoping Sasuke would take the hint and lay off the questions.

Sasuke walked slowly over to where Naruto was sitting, then squatted down directly in front of him. "What kind of prize do you want?" His deep baritone voice had taken on a husky tone that Naruto knew very well by now. Naruto decided he must have been hit on the head harder than he thought, because he was unable to look away from the onyx eyes that were pinning him to the couch, and his mouth suddenly felt dry.

"Umm..." Naruto's mind was refusing to pony up a suitable comeback. He almost flinched when Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's thigh, then slowly slid it up almost to his crotch. He left it resting there.

"Anything that you're wanting, Naruto?"

Naruto was suddenly intensely aware that he still didn't have his shirt on. And somehow the knowledge that he had been unconscious and alone in the apartment with Sasuke and nothing bad had happened to him came flooding back on him. At that moment he had no idea what he wanted anymore, or where his boundaries were. And the panic in that thought alone was enough to snap him out of his trance.

He grabbed Sasuke's hand and lifted it from his thigh. "Ask me your questions. If I answer them, I want to take a shower and rest in a dark room by myself for eight hours. Tell Jugo to not let anyone other than your brother come up. Not even the pizza delivery guy."

Sasuke shrugged, and walked over to sit in a chair near the sofa. He honestly didn't know if he would be able to stop from touching Naruto if he stayed where he was. And he had already told Naruto he wasn't expecting any sexual favors tonight.

There was always tomorrow.

Sasuke called down to Jugo and told him to not let anyone up under any circumstances except for Itachi.

He closed his phone, then looked at Naruto expectantly.

"Ok, so to answer your second question, it is because my roommate is similar to me. And having the police or the ADA know anything about him puts him at risk. He is my best friend, so I go out of my way to not put him at risk."

Sasuke nodded, accepting that answer.

"Are you the black-haired youth that they are looking for in connection with the subway death?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Naruto said. It was a confirmation, but not one that could be used in court.

Sasuke understood that as well, and wasn't bothered by it. "How many men went after you and your roommate?"

"Jesus, you really do have a fucking list, don't you?"

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"Why does this matter? All I do by telling you this is give you information that your brother could use to prosecute me."

"I didn't tell Itachi about the subway. And like you said, I'd already figured that out on my own. I didn't tell him that you had mentioned that your attackers were Russians, or that Orochimaru had been following you."

Naruto hesitated. Then answered. "Eight. Seven in the apartment, and Mr. Subway Safety Boy."

Something flickered in Sasuke's eyes, but it was gone before Naruto could identify the emotion. Sasuke said simply, "You must be quite good if you survived an attack from seven armed men."

"What's your fifth question?"

"What kind of food do you like to eat?"

Naruto paused. He had been expecting a much tougher question. Like his address, or how many people he'd killed or... something that wasn't so _normal_ sounding.

"Um, I eat just about anything. But at home, I make a lot of Mac & Cheese. Why do you want to know that?"

"Well, if you're going to be staying here for a few days, presumably you will need to eat something. I'm not going to babysit you and make your meals, so I figured it would be less annoying if I just had Jugo bring some supplies."

"Why do you try to always sound like a bastard even when you're actually doing something nice?"

Sasuke smirked at that. "Habit. And I am a bastard. Don't let my occasional slip-ups fool you into thinking otherwise."

"Alright, you have two questions left. Let's get them over with," Naruto said, chuckling.

"Fine. How long ago did you stop sleeping with Sakura?"

"Wow. That's personal. Um... I guess it would be about two years ago?"

Sasuke seemed pleased by that answer, though Naruto wasn't sure exactly how he knew that... the bastard's face was as stoic as ever.

"Last question?" Naruto prompted.

Sasuke stood. "Come here."

"What?"

"Come here," Sasuke repeated.

"Ok?" Naruto said, standing and walking over so he was directly in front of Sasuke.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Sasuke's hand reached up and he slid his fingers under Naruto's chin, then rubbed his thumb over his lower lip.

"Why were you willing to let her kiss you, when you haven't had sex with her for years, but you won't kiss me?"

Naruto felt his brain seize up again. All the reasons why this was a bad idea seemed jumbled around. Sasuke slid his hand along Naruto's jaw, down his throat, and around to the back of his neck. But he didn't pull Naruto in. Instead, he just rested his hand there, waiting to see what Naruto would do.

"I..." Naruto tried to remember what he was going to say. "... I don't mix my personal life with my work."

"Is it still work?" Sasuke asked, his voice low, his fingers tensing at the back of Naruto's neck fighting the urge to simply crush their mouths together.

But Naruto pulled back. Because he honestly didn't know the answer. He had only slept an hour in the past two days. He knew he was not in a state of mind to make a decision like this. No matter how foggy his brain was, he knew that this would be a path where there was no turning back once he started to go down it. "Sorry... that would be eight questions. The deal was seven. I want my shower now. Then my sleep."

-xXx-

The next morning Sasuke insisted that he drive Naruto over to Orochimaru's. Naruto grumbled, but decided that it would be better if Orochimaru knew that there was a witness to seeing him enter the man's home. That way he couldn't claim that Naruto had somehow gone 'missing' on the way over.

They were walking towards Sasuke's car. It was parked in its usual spot, and Naruto opened his mouth to crack some joke about Sasuke's OCD regarding the shininess of his car as Sasuke reached for his keys to push the unlock button. Naruto felt the itching between his shoulder blades, and scanned his surroundings quickly to try to understand what was setting him off. Then he saw it. Smudges. All over Sasuke's shiny car. At the driver's side door, and more importantly on the hood by the latch.

Without a word, Naruto spun and flicked a crescent kick directly at Sasuke's wrist, knocking the keys from his hand.

"Naruto, what the fuck are you -"

"Sasuke. Get inside the building now. Do not come back into the garage until the police tell you to."

"What?"

"Go inside and tell Jugo to seal all entrances to the parking garage. And call a bomb squad."

Sasuke ran his eyes quickly over the parking garage and his car, why Naruto thought there might be a bomb. Then he noticed. "The fingerprints."

"Yeah. Now go inside."

"We'll both go," Sasuke said, grabbing Naruto's arm.

"Sasuke. I am only going to say this one more time. Go. Inside. Now. The detonation device is likely triggered by the electronic sensor in this key. There are two kinds of these. One that just goes bang when you get too close or push the button to unlock the car. The other is more sophisticated, but it tracks the proximity of the key to the bomb, and if the key approaches then backs away, the device will detonate. I don't know which one this is. Can we do 'bomb school' later and can you please trust me that I know what I am talking about and go call the fucking cops?"

"Let me hold the key. You can go in and call the cops."

"So help me god, Sasuke, I will detonate this right here if you don't go inside. Or worse. I'll call Itachi."

Naruto knew he had won, though Sasuke looked furious. There was no time to continue the argument. "If you blow yourself up, I'm going to be really annoyed," Sasuke said, then turned and pulled out his cell to call the bomb squad as he walked in to warn Jugo.

-xXx-

_to be continued..._

god, I wish the penalty for rape was getting your dick blown of by Deidara. LOL

Oh, and I decided that Mac & Cheese is the US version of Ramen... so that's where that came from.


End file.
